ESPN Acquires Jayski.com: ESPN has acquired Jayski.com - one of the top NASCAR information sites on the Internet. Jayski, who began the site in 1996, will continue to operate Jayski.com, which counts top NASCAR crew chiefs, drivers and owners among its regular visitors. The site has seen tremendous growth in the past three years and is now considered one of the most influential web sites in the sport. Jayski has gained a reputation for consistently breaking industry stories and serving as the ultimate resource and trackside companion for NASCAR fans. Jayski.com will remain an independent voice on ESPN.com and complement the site's revamped NASCAR editorial section, providing NASCAR fans the most comprehensive coverage of the sport on the Internet.
"Jayski.com is, day-in and day-out, one of the most distinctive, authoritative voices for NASCAR fans online," said John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN New Media. "Few developments for ESPN are more exciting than getting back into NASCAR, and doing so with one of the most dialed-in NASCAR insiders in the business. Jay's fan perspective informs everything he writes; he's a must-read for any serious NASCAR enthusiast."
Jayski.com's relationship with ESPN extends back to 2004, when ESPN began hosting the website. Jayski and partner Mark Garrow will serve as contributors for NASCAR coverage across all ESPN media - including on-air, online and radio and podcasting. "I am proud to be associated with ESPN, especially as they expand their role in NASCAR," said Jayski. "I'll still be running the site, but with the support of ESPN, we'll have the resources to grow Jayski.com to serve NASCAR fans even better than it already does."
Jayski.com features more than 1,500 pages of content on NASCAR Nextel Cup, the Busch Series and Truck Series. Some of the most popular features of the site include Jayski's NASCAR News and Rumors, Team Pages and the Jayski Paint Scheme section. ESPN.com's core NASCAR news, information and feature coverage is anchored by award-winning writers Terry Blount and David Newton, with contributions from Rusty Wallace, Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis.(ESPN PR)(4-2-2007)AP/Sports Business Journal Article: ESPN has acquired Jayski.com, a website that collects NASCAR news, rumors, links, information and statistics. Jayski.com founder Jay Adamczyk, who created the site in 1996 for a class project and made it his full-time job in 1999, will continue to accumulate the bountiful supply of information that fills Jayski.com's 1,500 pages, which cover everything from breaking news to team pages to new paint schemes and television ratings. ESPN.com has served as the host server for Jayski.com since 2004. Terms of the deal were not available. Adamczyk said he had a pair of analysts look at his ad revenue and site traffic to determine a value. John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager of ESPN new media, said he wouldn't tinker too much with Adamczyk's homespun site. Viewers might see more standard Internet banners and ad units, but the content will remain in Adamczyk's hands. "The assumption is that if you make a deal with ESPN, your site is going to look like ESPN," Kosner said. "But Jay has hit on a successful formula. We don't have to reinvent the wheel here. With the Internet, everything is trackable, you can see people's behavior, you know what works." Adamczyk said Jayski.com has been experiencing its most successful period during the first quarter. February produced 17 million page views, aided largely by the Daytona 500, he said, including 1 million unique hits, which marked the first time he had reached 1 million in a month. ESPN first struck a relationship with Jayski.com in late 2004. The network became a host server for the site and began to help with ad sales in January 2005. A Jayski.com link was created on ESPN.com's NASCAR page and ESPN received prominent placement on the Web site's home page. When ESPN acquired the rights to televise half of the Nextel Cup schedule and the full Busch Series slate, which began this year, it revamped the ESPN.com motorsports page and hired more reporters. The purchase of Jayski.com fits into that broader strategy of upgrading its NASCAR coverage, Kosner said. Adamczyk and his partner, Mark Garrow, will serve as contributors for NASCAR coverage on all of ESPN's media, including on-air, online, radio and podcasting. Adamczyk, a computer programmer who has not attended a race in nearly three years, will contribute his reports by phone. "I don't like crowds, I don't like the traffic," Adamczyk said. "There's so much more I can do here in front of my computer. I'm not a reporter who needs to go interview a bunch of people. I'm a web dude who puts it all together." Adamczyk works out of his home in Mooresville, N.C. Michael Smith is a reporter with SportsBusiness Journal.(Sporting News/SportsBusiness Journal)(4-2-2007)

2012 News

ESPN's Hannah Storm Goes In-Depth with Four of NASCAR's Best: With the 2012 NASCAR season nearing the finish line, four of the sport's biggest stars will open their lives to fans in a one-hour conversation special with ESPN SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm on Tuesday, Nov. 6, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. SportsCenter Special: NASCAR Face-to-Face with Hannah Storm, will feature NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart. Viewers will get an up-close look at their lives away from the track through a blend of conversation and access as they near the end of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, with Johnson and Keselowski locked in a battle for the 2012 series championship. NASCAR will be the fourth subject in Storm's Face-to-Face series on ESPN, which in previous editions focused on the NBA, the NFL and NFL player Tim Tebow. The program re-airs Thursday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.(ESPN PR)(11-1-2012)

Edwards on SportsCenter after each Chase race: ESPN's flagship news and information program SportsCenter will air immediately following the nine Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup events airing on ESPN with expanded post-race coverage, including exclusive interviews with the race winners. ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven will be in the SportsCenter studio for the post-race analysis and as he has done for the past two years, NASCAR Sprint Cup driver #99-Carl Edwards will join SportsCenter live from the track following each Chase race with additional analysis from the perspective of a driver who just competed in the event.(ESPN)(9-15-2012)

Chicago Kicks Off Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup: The 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 16, and ESPN will have a live telecast of the 400-mile race on the 1.5-mile track. NASCAR Countdown airs at 1:00pm/et with the race’s green flag at 2:16pm/et. Also from Chicagoland, ESPN2 airs NASCAR Sprint Cup practice sessions on Friday at 1:00 pm/et and 4:00pm/et. All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets with the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com.NASCAR Now Weekend Wrap-up Program Begins Sunday: ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will expand its schedule with a weekly one-hour weekend wrap-up program coinciding with the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The first edition airs Sunday night, Sept. 16, at 11:30 pm/et. NASCAR Now will preview that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway in the one-hour edition that airs earlier that day at 8:00am/et. Host Mike Massaro will be joined in the studio by ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven and reporters Marty Smith and Shannon Spake will check in from the track. ESPN.com motorsports writer David Newton will report from Chicagoland.(ESPN)(9-11-2012)

Kid Rock Amps Up ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Coverage: Renowned singer-songwriter and musician Kid Rock will lend both his presence and his music to ESPN’s telecasts of the 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which begins with this Sunday’s event at Chicagoland Speedway. ESPN’s coverage from Chicagoland begins at 1:00pm/et with NASCAR Countdown. Kid Rock, who has been a fan of NASCAR for more than a decade, will narrate and appear in the opening teases of the telecasts of the 10 races, with each tease tailored to the racetrack hosting that week’s event. Kid Rock's music will be featured throughout the campaign, including sneak peeks at his yet-to-be-titled new album and hits from his catalogue. “Kid Rock brings rock stardom to a sport that has its own rock stars,” said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports, production. “His music appeals to a cross-section of America and is a perfect fit for our NASCAR coverage.” Also known for his philanthropy, Kid Rock is especially connected to the U.S. military and is a regular supporter of Operation Homefront, the USO and Operation Finally Home, all organizations to assist members of the armed forces and their families.(ESPN)(9-11-2012)

Bristol TV coverage affected in some markets UPDATE add Miami: NASCAR fans in six affected markets will be able to watch ABC's telecast of Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on alternate channels through arrangements made by the local ABC affiliates. The ABC affiliates in the six markets will be airing NFL preseason games Saturday night rather than the NASCAR race but with the alternate channels in each market, the race telecast will still be available nationwide. ABC's coverage begins with NASCAR Countdown at 7:00pm/et.
In four of the affected markets, the race telecast will air on ESPN, including Buffalo, Tulsa, Weslaco, Tex., and Quincy, Ill.
In Detroit, ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV will move the race telecast to its digital tier 2 channel and then join the race in progress when the Detroit Lions preseason game ends.
In Rochester, N.Y., ABC affiliate WHAM-TV will move the race telecast to its digital tier 2 channel.
ABC affiliates in Little Rock, Ark., Corpus Christi, Tex., and Omaha, Neb., will pre-empt NASCAR Countdown at 7:00pm/et for local news but will join the ABC telecast at 7:30pm/et.
UPDATE:
Due to hurricane coverage, ABC affiliate in Miami not airing race tonight – it will be on ESPN in Miami.
The race's green flag is scheduled for 7:43 pm/et.(ESPN)(8-22/25-2012)

Sprint Cup Racing Coming to ESPN for Second Half of Season: The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, one of the premier events in NASCAR, will be the launching point for ESPN's live, flag-to-flag telecasts of the final 17 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season on Sunday, July 29.
ESPN's multimedia platforms will surround the race telecasts on television, radio, online and on mobile devices. Of the 17 races, 14 will air on ESPN and WatchESPN and three Saturday night events will air on ABC, and ESPN's flagship news and information program SportsCenter will follow the 14 ESPN race telecasts with additional post-race interviews, highlights and information.
Beginning Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway, the final 10 races will comprise the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR's playoffs, culminating Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the crowning of the series champion.
For the 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, ESPN will again utilize NASCAR NonStop, a split-screen commercial format that brings more racing action to viewers. The format, which ESPN used for the first time in 2011, shows the advertisement on the left side of the screen and a continuation of racing action on the right side. ESPN's scoring ticker continues to move across the top of the screen, allowing NASCAR fans to follow the running order of the race during the breaks. NASCAR NonStop takes effect at or near the halfway point of the race, with the first half of the race presented in the traditional commercial break format.
ESPN's NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage team will include four former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions, led by analyst Dale Jarrett, the 1999 driving champion, who will work with two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree and lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick in the booth. Rusty Wallace, the 1989 driving champion, and three-time champion crew chief Ray Evernham will be analysts for NASCAR Countdown with host Nicole Briscoe and analyst Brad Daugherty, a NASCAR team owner.
Pit reporters during ESPN's 17-race NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro, Dr. Jerry Punch, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch while Marty Reid will be the lap-by-lap announcer for the remainder of ESPN's NASCAR Nationwide Series race telecasts beginning with Indianapolis.(ESPN)(7-23-2012)

ESPN closes Tech Garage: Since 2007, younger NASCAR fans know Tim Brewer … stationed inside the ESPN Tech Garage at both Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races carried by the network. ESPN made a larger commitment of resources to the Nationwide Series telecasts than any network before. That included Brewer's mobile garage and a full infield studio of three on-air personalities. ESPN … has confirmed that Brewer's recent hiatus from the Nationwide Series coverage will be permanent. ESPN returns to Sprint Cup Series coverage in July with the Brickyard 400. The Tech Garage will also not be part of that coverage. This year the final seventeen Cup Series races will be without Brewer on TV. "It has been a great feature of our NASCAR coverage," said a network spokesman. "We will continue to look for places to showcase the garage where appropriate." That means that while ESPN did not sell the Tech Garage, the unit is parked. Unfortunately this also affects more ESPN team members than just Brewer. In addition to the camera crew inside the studio, the Tech Garage also had "runners" who grabbed damaged pieces of cars during the race and brought them back for Brewer to explain.(Daly Planet)(6-27-2012)

ESPN shooting NASCAR ad in Kannapolis NC: Film crews from ESPN are taking advantage of race week in Cabarrus County to shoot a commercial featuring NASCAR drivers. Officials were setting up at the Gem Theatre in Kannapolis on Tuesday morning, gearing up for the film shoot. Officials said a crew of more than 60 were working on the commercials, which would feature several NASCAR drivers. Officials declined to elaborate on the plot of the commercial or which drivers would be used, but did confirm the commercial was for ESPN. Kannapolis Police Department blocked of the street in front of the Gem Theatre, which rentral trucks and other vehicles hauling camera equipment blocking off West 1st Street, Kannapolis. The film crew were also filming at First Baptist Church, using a room in the church to double as a press conference meeting (Independent Tribune)(5-23-2012)

Daugherty Picks Up Speed, Experience In Second Martinsville Speedway Test: Brad Daugherty finished his second day of behind-the-wheel training at Martinsville Speedway Thursday with a smile on his face and more speed in his future. The 7-foot-1 former NBA star and current ESPN racing analyst tested his National Auto Sport Association truck on the difficult Martinsville half-mile Thursday, following up a similar test in November. Daugherty has been racing for more than a decade, but said the two Martinsville visits have stepped up his game. Daugherty, was getting some tutoring from fellow ESPN analyst Andy Petree, who was a NASCAR Sprint Cup championship crew chief, and drove several races at Martinsville in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Daugherty’s NASA schedule will consist entirely of road courses, but he said Martinsville’s tight turns offer up similarities to road racing. Daugherty and Petree shut down their trucks a bit early so they could shoot part of ESPN’s daily racing show, NASCAR Now, live from the infield. Daugherty said while the day was enjoyable and a boost to his driving skills, any actual racing experience helps his on-air credibility. Tickets are on sale for October races and may be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com.(Martinsville Speedway)(4-20-2012)

Austin Dillon Featured in New ESPN NASCAR Spot: Rising young NASCAR star Austin Dillon and the legendary black #3 made famous by the late Dale Earnhardt are featured in a new ESPN promotional spot entitled “The Next Generation” that will begin airing next week. The 21-year-old Dillon is the leading rookie in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. All 33 races in the series will air on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC this season and Dillon is the second Nationwide Series driver this year to be featured by ESPN in its promotional campaign for the series, joining 2011 series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The 30-second spot, which continues ESPN’s “Names Are Made Here” marketing campaign for the NASCAR Nationwide Series, traces Dillon’s career through go karts, dirt tracks and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where he was series champion last year. At the end of the spot, a team member opens a garage door to reveal the #3 car that Dillon is driving this season. “Here you go, Austin,” the man says. “She’s ready when you are.” The #3, owned by Dillon’s grandfather, longtime NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, has returned to regular use on a car this year for the first time since Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500 and the new ESPN spot reflects the magnitude of the return of the number. Dillon won the Truck Series championship last year driving a Childress-owned #3 truck. The spot was produced by Wieden + Kennedy New York and will run across ESPN platforms.(ESPN)(4-8-2012)

ESPN'S NASCAR Coverage Set to Take Green Flag at Daytona: ESPN's coverage of the 2012 NASCAR season launches with a live, flag-to-flag telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 25, on ESPN. The telecast is presented by GoDaddy.com and begins at noon ET with NASCAR Countdown. The 300-mile race's green flag flies at 1:34 pm/et.
All 33 races on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule this season will appear on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. ESPN also will televise the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of the season, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Fourteen of the 17 races will air on ESPN, with three Saturday night races appearing on ABC. ESPN's NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage begins July 29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while the Chase begins Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway.
In addition to race coverage for both series, the networks also will televise practice and qualifying from select races, season preview and review programs and a special Chase preview. Races include NASCAR Countdown, a dedicated pre-race program, and comprehensive coverage of NASCAR appears on ESPN2's NASCAR news and information program, NASCAR Now.
All of ESPN's NASCAR television content is also viewable digitally through WatchESPN and WatchESPN.com, the groundbreaking online-accessible authenticated version of ESPN. WatchESPN is available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN.com and the free WatchESPN app, which are accessible to fans who receive their video service from an affiliated provider.
ESPN's team of announcers has five former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions in analyst roles in 2012, including 1999 champion driver Dale Jarrett and 1989 champion Rusty Wallace. Two-time champion crew chiefs Tim Brewer and Andy Petree also will offer expert analysis during the season while three-time champion crew chief Ray Evernham returns to ESPN this season after taking the 2011 season off.
Lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick will join Jarrett and Petree in the booth for race telecasts, with pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. From the ESPN Pit Studio, Nicole Briscoe will host NASCAR Countdown with analysts Wallace and Brad Daugherty, joined by Evernham for selected races, mostly in the second half of the season. Brewer will report from the Emmy-winning ESPN Tech Garage during race telecasts to help viewers better understand the technical and mechanical aspects of NASCAR racing.
Marty Reid will step into the lap-by-lap announcer position for NASCAR Nationwide Series telecasts once ESPN's NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage begins, with Bestwick calling the Cup races. Reid also will call selected Nationwide Series races in the first half of the season while continuing his role as lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN on ABC's telecasts of the IZOD IndyCar Series. Wallace, Evernham and NASCAR Now analyst Ricky Craven also will help call some races from the booth as fill-ins for Jarrett and Petree. NASCAR Now co-hosts Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will work as pit reporters for selected races as will Rick DeBruhl, a pit reporter on ESPN's coverage of the IZOD IndyCar Series, and Jim Noble.
ESPN's NASCAR race telecasts will be produced under the oversight of ESPN vice president, motorsports, Rich Feinberg and coordinating producer Kate Jackson. NASCAR Sprint Cup races and selected Nationwide Series races will be produced by Jamie Shiftan while Jim Gaiero will produce other Nationwide Series races. Richie Basile will be director. ESPN's multimedia approach to coverage of NASCAR touches multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN2, ESPN2 HD, ABC, ABC HD, WatchESPN, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio, ESPN International, ESPN Mobile, espnW and Jayski.com.(NASCAR on ESPN:)(2-25-2012)

Evernham Returns to ESPN as NASCAR Analyst: Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Ray Evernham is returning to ESPN as a NASCAR analyst for the 2012 season. Evernham will join ESPN’s team at Daytona Speedweeks and will be part of NASCAR Countdown before the NASCAR Nationwide Series race that airs on ESPN on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 12noon/et. He also will appear on NASCAR Now and SportsCenter from Daytona as ESPN’s multimedia platforms surround the opening of the NASCAR season. Evernham will be an analyst on NASCAR Countdown for many of the 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races that will appear on ESPN networks in the second half of the season. In addition to his work on NASCAR Now and SportsCenter, he will help call several NASCAR Nationwide Series races from the booth. Evernham was an analyst for ESPN from 2008-2010 but left prior to the 2011 season when he took a consulting position with Hendrick Companies, a management company that oversees strategic initiatives for chairman Rick Hendrick, who also owns Hendrick Motorsports. "I chose to take a year off from ESPN out of respect for ESPN and Hendrick Motorsports,” said Evernham. “I didn't want to create any perceived conflict of interest while I got my bearings at Hendrick and didn't want to cause distraction to either company. Now that I'm settled at Hendrick Performance, I don't have any involvement on the racing side of the operations and it frees me from any conflict with NASCAR teams. Mr. Hendrick and I have worked out an agreement that allows me to return to the ESPN team.” Evernham has a history with ESPN dating back to 2000, when he appeared as an analyst on ESPN and ABC’s coverage of the IROC Series and some NASCAR races. In 2007, he was a guest analyst on NASCAR Countdown for several NASCAR Nationwide Series telecasts and was featured in Race Wizard with Ray Evernham, a program that aired on ESPN2. "I'm glad to be coming back to ESPN,” Evernham said. “I really enjoy the team camaraderie at ESPN and I'm very much at home with this group from my previous three years,” he said. "Stock car racing is my passion and I'm looking forward to being back involved. I'm excited about the momentum NASCAR has going into the 2012 season.”
“We welcome Ray back to the team and look forward to enhancing our coverage of NASCAR with the knowledge and expertise he brings to the table,” said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports, production. “He’s a solid professional and a well-respected voice in the sport.” ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage begins with the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 29.(ESPN)(2-15-2012)

ESPN’s Dr. Jerry Punch at peace with Kurt Busch: Nearly an entire offseason has passed since Kurt Busch made headlines for his profanity-laced tirade toward ESPN personnel at Homestead-Miami Speedway. You would assume hard feelings might linger on the part of ESPN pit reporter Dr. Jerry Punch. You’d be wrong. “Kurt and I, we talked that next week and he sent me a lengthy email talking about how ashamed and embarrassed he was, and he knows that I’ve tried to be helpful, he knows he messed up. ... He sent me this email and said he wanted my cell phone,” Punch said in a phone interview Monday. “I called him the night before Thanksgiving and we talked for a little while, and we went over a lot of the things, and we had some very frank conversation. I said, ‘Look, you’ve apologized, I’ve accepted your apology, now let’s move on. I wish you nothing but success on and off the race track next year.’” Busch parted ways with Penske Racing at the end of last season and will compete this year for Phoenix Racing and team owner James Finch. For his part, Punch is looking forward rather than behind.(in part from SceneDaily / NASCAR Illustrated)(2-14-2012)

NASCAR This Week on ESPN: With the NASCAR season only days away, ESPNEWS will air a three-hour special from NASCAR Media Day at the Daytona 500 on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 12noon/et. Defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Daytona 500 rookie Danica Patrick are among those scheduled to appear during the program. The telecast will be co-hosted by Mike Massaro and Nicole Briscoe with analyst Ricky Craven.
ESPN2's daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now returns for its sixth season this week and sirs Monday through Friday at 3 p.m. The program also can be seen on computers, smartphones and tablets with WatchESPN. A one-hour edition of the program will air on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 12noon/et with a review of the previous night's Bud Shootout from Daytona International Speedway and a look ahead to that day's pole qualifying for the Daytona 500. Mike Massaro hosts the program this week from ESPN's studios with analyst Ricky Craven. Nicole Briscoe will report from Daytona starting Thursday.
Fifteen years ago, Jeff Gordon, at age 25, became the youngest driver ever to win the Daytona 500. With the NASCAR season kickoff coming soon, ESPN Classic will recognize Gordon's accomplishment with an airing of the record-setting 1997 Daytona 500 at 5:30 pm/et on Thursday, Feb. 16. The race will be followed at 7:30 pm/et by an airing of SportsCentury: Jeff Gordon.(ESPN)(2-14-2012)

NASCAR Now returns; with the Dinger: ESPN2's daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now returns for its sixth season on Monday, Feb. 13, at 3 pm/et, coinciding with the week activities begin for NASCAR's season-opening Daytona 500. NASCAR Now is scheduled to air Monday-Friday with half-hour episodes originating from ESPN's studios in Bristol, CT. A one-hour weekend edition is scheduled to air on the morning of each NASCAR Sprint Cup race and NASCAR Now will air a weekend wrap-up edition starting with the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #22-Shell-Pennzoil Dodge for Penske Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, joins NASCAR Now this season as a guest reporter for the weekend edition programs. "The Daily Dinger" segment will feature Allmendinger in off-beat interviews around the racetracks with drivers, crew chiefs, fans and others or reporting on a unique aspect of that day's race.
Mike Massaro will continue as the primary host of NASCAR Now with ongoing hosts Allen Bestwick, Nicole Briscoe, Marty Reid and Shannon Spake. ESPN SportsCenter anchors Lindsay Czarniak, Michael Yam and Michelle Bonner also will fill in as occasional NASCAR Now hosts. Marty Smith will again be the lead reporter for the program while Briscoe, Massaro and Spake will also serve as reporters.
Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie of the year Ricky Craven will continue as an analyst for NASCAR Now and other ESPN studio programs such as SportsCenter. ESPN NASCAR analysts Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace, Andy Petree, Tim Brewer and Brad Daugherty also will contribute to NASCAR Now as will ESPN pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. NASCAR Now also will continue to have contributions from ESPN.com motorsports writers Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton along with ESPN the Magazine senior writer Ryan McGee and former NASCAR pit crew member D.J. Copp.
The program will originate from Daytona International Speedway for three shows surrounding the Daytona 500. In past years, NASCAR Now also has originated from remote locations including the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the White House, Chicago's Navy Pier and other racetracks. NASCAR Now and all of ESPN's NASCAR television content is also viewable digitally through WatchESPN and WatchESPN.com, the groundbreaking online-accessible authenticated version of ESPN. WatchESPN is available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN.com and the free WatchESPN app, which are accessible to fans who receive their video service from an affiliated provider.(ESPN)(2-8/13-2012)

Craven re-signs with ESPN: Ricky Craven has signed a multiyear deal with ESPN to continue as an in-studio analyst for the TV show "NASCAR Now" and also handle prerace and postrace duties for the Sprint Cup series. He will also be a color analyst for five Nationwide Series races. The 45-year-old Craven, who notched two wins, 17 top-five finishes and 41 top-10s during his 278-race Sprint Cup career, has worked for ESPN since 2008. Craven didn't divulge the terms of his contract but said he was "extremely happy" with it.(Bangor Daily News)(2-11-2012)

NASCAR Now returns Feb 13th; with the Dinger: ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now returns for its sixth season on Monday, Feb. 13, at 3 pm/et, coinciding with the week activities begin for NASCAR’s season-opening Daytona 500. NASCAR Now is scheduled to air Monday-Friday with half-hour episodes originating from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, CT. A one-hour weekend edition is scheduled to air on the morning of each NASCAR Sprint Cup race and NASCAR Now will air a weekend wrap-up edition starting with the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #22-Shell-Pennzoil Dodge for Penske Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, joins NASCAR Now this season as a guest reporter for the weekend edition programs. “The Daily Dinger” segment will feature Allmendinger in off-beat interviews around the racetracks with drivers, crew chiefs, fans and others or reporting on a unique aspect of that day’s race.
Mike Massaro will continue as the primary host of NASCAR Now with ongoing hosts Allen Bestwick, Nicole Briscoe, Marty Reid and Shannon Spake. ESPN SportsCenter anchors Lindsay Czarniak, Michael Yam and Michelle Bonner also will fill in as occasional NASCAR Now hosts. Marty Smith will again be the lead reporter for the program while Briscoe, Massaro and Spake will also serve as reporters.
Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie of the year Ricky Craven will continue as an analyst for NASCAR Now and other ESPN studio programs such as SportsCenter. ESPN NASCAR analysts Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace, Andy Petree, Tim Brewer and Brad Daugherty also will contribute to NASCAR Now as will ESPN pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. NASCAR Now also will continue to have contributions from ESPN.com motorsports writers Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton along with ESPN the Magazine senior writer Ryan McGee and former NASCAR pit crew member D.J. Copp.
The program will originate from Daytona International Speedway for three shows surrounding the Daytona 500. In past years, NASCAR Now also has originated from remote locations including the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the White House, Chicago’s Navy Pier and other racetracks. NASCAR Now and all of ESPN’s NASCAR television content is also viewable digitally through WatchESPN and WatchESPN.com, the groundbreaking online-accessible authenticated version of ESPN. WatchESPN is available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN.com and the free WatchESPN app, which are accessible to fans who receive their video service from an affiliated provider.(ESPN)(2-8-2012)

2011 News

ESPN2 to Air NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series Season Reviews: With one of the most competitive NASCAR seasons in history now in the record books, ESPN2 will take a look back at the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series seasons in a pair of programs to air later this week.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, which ended with Tony Stewart winning his third championship in a hotly-contested battle that went to the final lap of the final race, will be reviewed on Friday, Dec. 9, at 3 pm/et.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series season, in which Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won his first NASCAR championship, will be reviewed on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 3 pm/et.
Both 30-minute programs, produced by the NASCAR Media Group, will feature highlights and interviews with drivers and other newsmakers who contributed to the competition in 2011. In 2012, ESPN networks will again televise the final 17 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. In addition, ESPN networks will again be the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season. NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program, will return in February. All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 throughout 2012 will be available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.(12-6-2011)

ESPN’s Coverage of NASCAR Sprint Cup Season Finale Expands with New Elements: ESPN’s coverage of the final weekend of the NASCAR season will include some new elements as one of the closest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship battles in history concludes Sunday at Florida’s Homestead-Miami Speedway. ESPN’s telecast of the Ford 400 begins with NASCAR Countdown at 2 pm/et on Sunday, Nov. 20, with the race’s green flag scheduled at 3:15 pm/et.
ESPN will use 72 cameras in the Ford 400 telecast, including two stationed high above the 1.5-mile superspeedway that will solely focus on championship contenders Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart, giving ESPN the ability to show viewers the two drivers at any time during the race. In addition, both will carry onboard cameras, and Stewart will be ESPN In-Race Reporter and will speak with ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett on the race’s pace laps and during caution periods, bringing viewers the perspective of a driver competing in the race.
ESPN also will have robotic cameras in the garage stalls of both contenders, permitting overhead views of the respective race teams at work during ESPN’s coverage of NASCAR Sprint Cup practice on Friday and views if one or both must go to the garage for repairs during Sunday’s race.
NASCAR Countdown will include a feature on Stewart and his relationship with legendary racer A.J. Foyt, who was the inspiration for Stewart to carry #14 when he started his own NASCAR Sprint Cup team three years ago. NASCAR Countdown also will include a feature on Edwards and his Roush Fenway team being “championship ready” and an orchestral salute to Jimmie Johnson, whose reign of five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup titles ended this year. Actor Ron Perlman will appear in the opening segment, which was shot at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
ESPN news and information programs SportsCenter and NASCAR Now will have reporters Shannon Spake (Edwards) and Marty Smith (Stewart) following the two contenders in Miami on Thursday and at the track Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The newly-crowned champion will be interviewed by ESPN’s Dr. Jerry Punch after climbing from his car at the end of the race and Punch will serve as master of ceremonies for the NASCAR Sprint Cup trophy presentation. The champion will travel to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Ct., for appearances on various ESPN platforms on Monday, Nov. 21. All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets with the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com.(ESPN)(11-16-2011)

Most chase races will be available online: UPDATES: NASCAR, ESPN and Turner Sports will announce plans Wednesday to air nine of the 10 Chase races live online, allowing fans to view the end of the Sprint Cup season in ways never before available. Fans can view the nine ESPN races via NASCAR.com's RaceBuddy and ESPN's WatchESPN.com platform and the free WatchESPN app, beginning with Sunday's Cup race from Chicagoland Speedway. The lone Cup race fans won't be able to view online will be the Oct. 15 event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That race airs on ABC, which does not air events live online to protect its affiliate stations. Here's what fans can see online:
• NASCAR.com's RaceBuddy will feature two mosaics with a mix of eight in-car and stationary cameras positioned around the track. Team radio audio will be associated with each of the in-car cameras.
• ESPN's live broadcast can be viewed via computer, smartphone and tablet through ESPN's WatchESPN app and at WatchESPN.com.
Also, it will be announced that ESPN's daily NASCAR show "NASCAR Now'' will be available for the first time through WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app. Telecast of NASCAR Nationwide Series races on ESPN and ESPN2 also will be available on WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.(Virginian-Pilot)(9-14-2011)UPDATE: Heading into the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR, ESPN and Turner Sports, which manages NASCAR.COM, announced details of a new partnership that will provide race fans with a never-before-seen digital viewing experience during the sport's postseason run. NASCAR.COM's RaceBuddy product will be available for the first time ever during the Chase while NASCAR content will appear for the first time ever in ESPN's WatchESPN.com platform and WatchESPN app. WatchESPN and WatchESPN.com, which give sports fans access to 24/7 live programming from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPNU, will, for the first time ever, exclusively feature the live ESPN telecasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. WatchESPN is available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN.com and the free WatchESPN app, which are accessible to fans who receive their video service from an affiliated provider. Also, ESPN2's daily NASCAR news and information program, "NASCAR Now", will be available on multiple devices to NASCAR fans for the first time ever through WatchESPN and WatchESPN.com. Telecasts of NASCAR Nationwide Series races on ESPN and ESPN2 will also be available.(ESPN)(9-14-2011)UPDATE 2: Here's a few more details:
• The agreement goes through the length of the TV contract, which is 2014. So, this will be not just a one-time thing.
• The agreement is for ALL ESPN Cup races, not just the Chase races, as is the case this year. ESPN is broadcasting 14 of the final 17 Cup races. So, provided that number stays the same, you will get to see a few more Cup races online next year. (Of course, the six TNT races are also on NASCAR.com's RaceBuddy, so that can mean about 20 races online next year).
• The agreement does NOT cover the ABC races. Those races aren't shown to protect the affiliate.
• The agreement covers practice sessions and qualifying sessions that ESPN broadcasts, along with the Nationwide races and "NASCAR Now'' and any other NASCAR content.
• As part of this agreement, you can watch the ESPN broadcast on WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app that allows you to view the race broadcast on your smartphone, computer or tablet. As of now, those with Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Verizon FiOS TV can get the WatchESPN feed.(Virginian-Pilot)(9-14-2011)

ESPN's NASCAR Sprint Cup Coverage Launches at Indianapolis: ESPN begins its coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season with a live, flag-to-flag telecast of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 31. ESPN's multimedia platforms will surround the race telecast on television, radio, online and on mobile devices and ESPN will be introducing several new television production elements into its NASCAR coverage.
The race telecast from Indianapolis is presented by Golden Corral and follows the one-hour NASCAR Countdown pre-race show at noon, with the race's green flag at 1:19 p.m. The Indianapolis race is the first of 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup events on ESPN networks to close out the 2011 NASCAR season, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Of the 17 races, 14 will air on ESPN and three on ABC.
ESPN's coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway also includes telecasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Saturday, July 30, at 2 p.m. and practice earlier that day at 10 a.m., both on ESPN2. In addition, ESPN will air the NASCAR Nationwide Series race from nearby Lucas Oil Raceway on Saturday night, July 30, along with practice and qualifying sessions earlier in the day.
Four former Sprint Cup champions will be an integral part of ESPN's NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage team, including analyst Dale Jarrett, who will work with chief Andy Petree and Allen Bestwick in the booth. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch.
NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will feature analysis by Rusty Wallace with host Nicole Briscoe and analyst Brad Daugherty.
ESPN will introduce several new production advancements in its NASCAR Sprint Cup telecasts, including the first-ever use of dual path transmission for onboard cameras. The new technology, developed by ESPN and Broadcast Sports International, will allow ESPN to get high definition video from two onboard cameras in the same car simultaneously, where in the past only one of the three cameras mounted in each car could be used at a time. As an example, when a crash is being replayed, viewers will now be able to see two different onboard points of view of a car involved or near the crash, such as the view of the roof camera, face camera or bumper camera.
ESPN will use 76 high definition cameras in the Brickyard 400 telecast, including Bat Cam, a camera running on a cable over pit road and the frontstretch that can move at more than 80 mph. ESPN has worked with Sportvision on the race effects system to expand the use of pointers that help viewers identify cars when they are racing in a tight pack. With the advanced technology, the pointers can now appear on more camera shots, including aerials and trackside robotic cameras. This year, ESPN will have a helicopter camera for all 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup race telecasts for the first time.
ESPN also will introduce a modernized, progressive graphics package for improved readability, the first major graphics overhaul since ESPN returned to NASCAR coverage in 2007, as well as a new animation package.(ESPN)(7-26-2011)

Bestwick, Briscoe to Expand Roles in ESPN's NASCAR Coverage: Allen Bestwick and Nicole Briscoe, two veterans of ESPN's NASCAR coverage team, will have expanded roles as ESPN's telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of the season begin next week. Bestwick, who has filled a variety of positions since ESPN returned to live NASCAR event coverage in 2007, will move into the booth as the lap-by-lap announcer for all ESPN NASCAR Sprint Cup telecasts, including races, practices and qualifying. He will be joined by analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree when ESPN starts its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series coverage with the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 31. Briscoe, who has been a host and reporter for ESPN2's daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now since joining ESPN in 2008, and a fill-in host for the pre-race NASCAR Countdown show since 2010, will become the regular NASCAR Countdown host for all NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series telecasts on ESPN. Briscoe will work with analysts Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio at racetracks. Bestwick has been in the NASCAR Countdown host role since midway through the 2007 season. Marty Reid, who has been primary lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN's coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series since 2009, and for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since 2010, will continue to call NASCAR Nationwide Series race telecasts on ESPN as well as practice and qualifying telecasts. In addition, Reid also will continue as lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN's coverage of five races in the IZOD IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500, with the next event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Aug. 14.(ESPN PR)(7-20-2011)

ESPN Going "NonStop" With NASCAR Commercial Format: ESPN's telecasts of the final 10 races of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season will have a new look with the introduction of "NASCAR NonStop," a commercial format designed to bring more racing action to viewers while also providing value to advertisers. The new format will be in effect for the races that make up the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship and will debut with the event at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 2:00pm/et. In NASCAR NonStop, ESPN's commercial breaks will feature a split-screen format showing the advertisement on the left side of the screen and a continuation of racing action on the right side. In addition, ESPN's scoring ticker will continue to move across the top of the screen, allowing NASCAR fans to follow the running order of the race during the breaks.
When going to break during NASCAR NonStop, ESPN will utilize a screen wipe tied to an advertiser, with that advertiser occupying the wipe for the rest of the race. NASCAR NonStop will take effect at or near the halfway point of the race, with the first half of the race presented in the traditional commercial break format. "Since we returned to NASCAR racing in 2007, one of the most common questions from our fans has been 'why don't you do the commercials side-by-side?'" said John Skipper, ESPN executive vice president, content. "We're very pleased to be able to do it now with NASCAR NonStop and showcase the advertiser while still showcasing the race. ESPN's mission is to serve sports fans and this is a way to give the fans more racing action during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup."
Skipper said that ESPN worked with NASCAR to create the format for NASCAR NonStop. "NASCAR has the most dedicated and loyal fans in the world, and we are constantly trying to enhance how those fans consume this great sport," said Paul Brooks, president of NASCAR Media Group. "ESPN's 'NonStop' format will ensure our fans maximize their viewing experience during the most intense and thrilling time of the season – the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup."
The final 17 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule will be televised on ESPN Networks, with 14 airing on ESPN and three Saturday night races airing on ABC. ESPN's NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage begins with the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 31, at 1:00pm/et.(ESPN)(5-17-2011)

ESPN at NASCAR’s Daytona Speedweeks: ESPN will provide two weeks of comprehensive coverage of Speedweeks and the start of the NASCAR season at Daytona International Speedway across its multimedia platforms. Television coverage, highlighted by a Daytona 500 origination for ESPN’s flagship program SportsCenter, an expanded schedule for ESPN2’s daily news program NASCAR Now, coverage of NASCAR Media Day on ESPNEWS, and NASCAR Nationwide Series practice and qualifying, will culminate with the NASCAR Nationwide Series 300-mile race on ESPN2 on Saturday, Feb. 19. Other TV highlights include NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series preview shows on ESPN2, the premiere of the original film Wendell Scott: A Race Story and the airing of multiple past Daytona 500 races on ESPN Classic.
SportsCenter at Daytona airs Saturday, Feb. 19, at 4:00pm/et on ESPN2, originating from the Fan Zone at Daytona International Speedway. In addition to the special program, ESPN’s reporters and analysts will appear on regular editions of SportsCenter throughout Daytona Speedweeks. Other ESPN platforms including ESPN.com, Jayski.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Classic and ESPN Mobile Properties also will surround the NASCAR Nationwide Series race telecast and the Daytona 500 with NASCAR-related programming and coverage.
ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will televise 33 of the 34 NASCAR Nationwide Series races this season. ESPN also will televise the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of the season, with three airing on ABC.
Marty Reid will be the lead announcer for the Daytona race telecast, joined in the booth for analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.
Prior to the 1:15 p.m. ET race telecast, Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown from the revamped ESPN pit studio at noon, with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a team owner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
ESPN2 also airs live coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying on Friday, Feb. 18, at 4 p.m., as well as NASCAR Nationwide Series practice coverage on Thursday, Feb. 17, at 10 a.m.
NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily news and information show totally dedicated to NASCAR, originates from Daytona with one-hour episodes the week of the Daytona 500. The edition on the morning of the Feb. 20 Daytona 500 airs at 9 a.m. with Bestwick hosting and analysts Jarrett, Wallace and Ricky Craven. Another program airs that night at 8 p.m. to wrap up Daytona Speedweeks and will include an appearance by the Daytona 500 winner.
Mike Massaro and Nicole Briscoe will co-host ESPNEWS’ coverage of NASCAR Media Day on Thursday, Feb. 10, at noon, and conduct exclusive driver interviews from Daytona for the three-hour telecast. They’ll be joined for analysis by Craven.
ESPN2 airs season preview shows for both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series on Tuesday, Feb. 15, starting at 2 p.m. ESPN Classic will have an airing of ESPN’s acclaimed original movie 3, based on the life and racing career of seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 18.ESPN’S MULTIMEDIA PLATFORMS SURROUND DAYTONASportsCenter at Daytona -- SportsCenter will present a one-hour special from Daytona International Speedway on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, the eve of NASCAR’s Daytona 500. Hosted by Allen Bestwick, with analysts Rusty Wallace, Ricky Craven and Brad Daugherty, SportsCenter at Daytona will preview the Great American Race with analysis, opinion, and interviews. Also contributing will be reporters Marty Smith, Nicole Briscoe and Mike Massaro.ESPN.com -- Extensive coverage will originate from Daytona. Award-winning motorsports journalists Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton and ESPN.com motorsports editors K. Lee Davis and Joe Breeze will lead the reporting team, with additional contributions from NASCAR Insider Marty Smith as well as ESPN The Magazine’s Ryan McGee. Hinton, Blount, Newton and other ESPN reporters and personalities maintain and regularly update blogs with their insights, perspectives and more within the ESPN Insider premium content section. ESPN.com, along with Jayski.com, will feature extensive video, audio and editorial coverage of the 2011 NASCAR season, as well as providing multiple ESPN Fantasy games and content distributed to other emerging platforms such as Apple’s iTunes Store and Microsoft’s X Box Live.ESPN.com RaceCast, ESPN.com’s enhanced, live race-day applications features a live animated graphic display, track information, lap leaders, race leaders, driver information and live in-race chat with ESPN announcers and reporters. NASCAR fans looking for an online gathering during telecasts of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as well as the Nationwide Series opener at Daytona now have a place to go on ESPN.com. Racing Live! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the races. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/. As part of ESPN.com’s integration with Jayski.com, veteran racing voice Mark Garrow returns as a frequent contributor this year, producing podcasts and hosting regular chats on ESPN.com.Jayski.com -- ESPN-owned Jayski.com is considered one of the most influential Web sites in the motorsports world. Jayski has gained a reputation for consistently breaking industry stories and serving as the ultimate resource and trackside companion for NASCAR fans. Jayski’s editorial content during Daytona Speedweeks will help NASCAR fans keep up with late-breaking news, including updating any on-track incidents and garage news. Jayski also helps NASCAR fans understand the qualifying procedure for the Daytona 500, and NASCAR’s Top 35 rule, with updates and scenarios. And Jayski’s popular paint scheme section helps fans stay abreast of the new looks for NASCAR race teams.ESPNEWS – Coverage of NASCAR Media Day from noon - 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 10. Extensive reports and interviews during regular programming throughout Daytona Speed Weeks, including highlights from news conferences.ESPN Radio – The Raceday program airs from 6 - 7 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19, and Sunday, Feb. 20. Both programs will originate from Daytona with host Pat Patterson and include news, interviews and reports. In addition, ESPN Radio will have daily reports and interviews during other programming in the week leading up to the race.ESPN International – ESPN International is one of the world’s leading syndicators of sports programming and its relationship with NASCAR is helping maximize coverage of NASCAR and providing a solid base of distribution. Through a combination of sales and network programming, the 38 NASCAR Sprint Cup races and 34 NASCAR Nationwide Series races are available to 112 countries and territories around the world. In addition, U.S. troops and their families serving around the world and Navy vessels at sea can watch the season through American Forces Network.ESPN Classic – To help get NASCAR fans fired up for the opening of the season, ESPN Classic is running a marathon of NASCAR-related programming on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18-19. Included are episodes of the ESPN Classic signature series SportsCentury featuring some of history’s greatest drivers such as Richard Petty, Tim Flock, Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and 1967 Daytona 500 winner Mario Andretti. In addition, the lineup will include highlights of six past Daytona 500 races and the ESPN Original Movie 3.ESPN Deportes -- ESPN’s 24-hour, Spanish-language sports network in the U.S. will carry the NASCAR Nationwide Series race on a tape-delayed basis beginning at 4 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15. ESPN Deportes’ NASCAR commentator team will feature Andrés Agulla (play-by-play) and Alex Pombo (analysis). In addition to the telecast of the race, ESPN Deportes will have segments for its edition of SportsCenter. ESPN Mobile Platforms -- ESPN’s multiple mobile platforms will give fans on-the-go access to all the racing action, news and developments. ESPN Mobile TV (available on MediaFLO and MobiTV and via Sprint) will deliver news, analysis and feature video programs. ESPN MVP on Verizon Wireless will feature race highlights from NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races throughout the season, as well as all the latest news and information, ESPN.com columnists and in-progress race leader boards. In addition, fans can find coverage on the ESPN mobile Web site -- the leading sports site on the wireless Web (and among the most-trafficked wireless Web sites in the world), with 12.4 million unique visitors a month – in a dedicated NASCAR section that includes special coverage around the biggest races, driver cards and more. Additionally, fans can access real-time results on the ESPN ScoreCenter mobile app and sign up to receive customizable alerts to follow their favorite drivers during the race.ESPN Films -- In conjunction with Emmy Award-winning NASCAR Media Group and Max Siegel Inc., ESPN Films will document the story of Wendell Scott, the only black driver to win a NASCAR race, with the first airing of Wendell Scott: A Race Story on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 9 p.m. on ESPN. The 60-minute documentary will chronicle Scott’s only NASCAR victory, at Jacksonville Speedway in 1963, and his positive impact on the sport.(ESPN)(2-16-2011)

Judge dismisses charges against former ESPN producer: Public indecency and disorderly conduct charges against former ESPN senior motorsports producer Neil Goldberg have been dropped, according to Connecticut criminal online records.
The charges stemmed from an arrest in October following a peeping incident outside a neighbor’s window. Goldberg appeared Thursday in Hartford Community Court. All charges were dismissed, Goldberg attorney Richard Brown said Friday. Goldberg, who lost his job at ESPN following the arrest, never admitted guilt and there was no finding of any criminal wrongdoing. Goldberg is considered one of the most accomplished TV producers in racing.(Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service)(2-8-2011)

ESPN2’s NASCAR Now Returns Feb. 7: ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now returns for its fifth season on Monday, Feb. 7, at 5:00pm/et to coincide with the beginning of the 2011 NASCAR season. The program includes highlights, opinion, debate, analysis and the latest news from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders.
With hosts Allen Bestwick, Nicole Briscoe, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake, NASCAR Now originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn., with reporters and analysts checking in from locations around the country wherever NASCAR news is happening. In addition to reports from races, NASCAR Now reporters also visit race shops and special events.
Monday’s show [Feb 7th] will include interviews with NASCAR president Mike Helton and five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Chad Knaus as well as thoughts from ESPN NASCAR analyst Dale Jarrett.
NASCAR Now will originate from Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., site of the NASCAR season-opening Daytona 500, with special hour-long programs starting Sunday, Feb. 13 and including a Daytona wrap-up special on Sunday night, Feb. 20. Massaro will host the first week of episodes beginning Feb. 7 with reports from Daytona starting Feb. 10.
The first two weeks of programs will include new and exclusive interviews surrounding the 10th anniversary of the death of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, who was killed in a last-lap crash in the 2001 Daytona 500. Among the elements:
* NASCAR Now lead reporter Marty Smith in a new, exclusive interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
* Dr. Alfred Alson, the first doctor to arrive on the scene of Earnhardt’s fatal crash, speaks on camera for the first time about that day.
* Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds and others reflect on what they remember from the day Earnhardt died.
* Personalities including NASCAR champion Ned Jarrett and Hall of Fame journalist Tom Higgins tell Earnhardt stories.
* A unique look at Earnhardt through the eyes of the man who regularly cut his hair and trimmed his iconic moustache.
Other NASCAR Now features leading to Daytona will include a look at the driver/crew chief changes at Hendrick Motorsports, with interviews with the drivers and their new crew chiefs together; defending Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray reviews last year’s race through his eyes; members of Jimmie Johnson’s team put Johnson’s fifth consecutive Sprint Cup championship into perspective; Danica Patrick discusses her first season in NASCAR and expectations for 2011; Brian Vickers talks to Smith about his return to racing this season; and ESPN Sports Science explores the repaving of Daytona and how it will affect the racing.
The first week of the program also will include segments of a roundtable discussion hosted by ESPN’s Dr. Jerry Punch with analysts Andy Petree and Ricky Craven and reporter Smith. Among the topics will be discussion of the resurgence of Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress Racing; Brad Keselowski and the changes at Team Penske; the new NASCAR rule requiring drivers to choose one series for points; drivers and teams under the radar; Carl Edwards and Roush Fenway Racing; and Denny Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing.
In addition to the Monday through Friday program, ESPN2 also airs an hour-long edition of NASCAR Now at on the morning of each NASCAR Sprint Cup race, and a weekend wrap-up edition will begin in September to coincide with the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The Monday edition of NASCAR Now expands to an hour and features a roundtable discussion of the latest NASCAR news with ESPN analysts and reporters as well as special guests.
The NASCAR Now team also includes Terry Blount, motorsports writer for ESPN.com; analyst Tim Brewer, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief; D.J. Copp, tire changer in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series; and analyst Brad Daugherty, five-time NBA All-Star and NASCAR team owner.
Others are Ed Hinton, motorsports writer for ESPN.com; Ryan McGee, motorsports writer for ESPN the Magazine; and David Newton, motorsports writer for ESPN.com. NASCAR Now viewers also will see analysis and reports from other members of the NASCAR on ESPN race coverage team including analyst Rusty Wallace and pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Vince Welch.
Veteran NASCAR drivers Johnny Benson Jr. and Ken Schrader will be frequent guests on the Monday roundtable edition of NASCAR Now in 2011. The first roundtable, airing on Monday, Feb. 21, the day after the Daytona 500, will be moderated by Bestwick and include Jarrett, Wallace and the Daytona 500 winner.(ESPN PR)(2-5-2011)

ESPN Extends Contract of Rusty Wallace Through 2014: Champion NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace, ESPN’s lead studio analyst for auto racing, has reached a new contract extension to remain with ESPN through the 2014 season, it was announced by Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, production. Wallace joined ESPN after retiring from driving following the 2005 NASCAR season. A 55-time winner in NASCAR’s top series and the 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, Wallace is lead analyst for ESPN’s NASCAR studio programs, including NASCAR Countdown and NASCAR Now. Wallace also contributes NASCAR analysis to SportsCenter, First Take and ESPNEWS and calls selected NASCAR Nationwide Series races from the booth. He spent the 2006 season as an analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the IndyCar Series before moving to NASCAR in 2007 as the stock car racing series returned to ESPN.(ESPN)(1-25-2011)

Craven's duties expand at ESPN: Ricky Craven recently learned that in addition to his in-studio duties for the weekly NASCAR Now series and providing post-race Sprint Cup coverage for ESPN NEWS and SportsCenter, he will be in the booth serving as the color analyst for seven Nationwide Series races this season after doing five last year. “And I’ll be down in Daytona (Fla.) for the whole week leading up to the Daytona 500 (Feb. 13-20). I was there just two days last year,” said the 44-year-old Craven. He began doing bits for SportsCenter in the second half of the season a year ago. ESPN and ABC, which owns ESPN, will televise the final 17 Sprint Cup races beginning with the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 31.(Bangor Daily News)(1-15-2011)

2010 News

NASCAR Now To Originate from Homestead: ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will originate from Homestead-Miami Speedway and the NASCAR season finale for episodes airing Thursday through Sunday of this week. A half-hour program hosted by Allen Bestwick airs Thursday, Nov. 18, at 4:00 pm/et from the ESPN Pit Studio inside the speedway. Bestwick then hosts a program airing at 2:30 pm/et on Friday and another airing Saturday at 1:30 am/et (late Friday night).
NASCAR Now will surround Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Homestead with two episodes originating from the speedway. The one-hour weekend edition hosted by Nicole Briscoe airs at 9:00 am/et with a preview of that day’s race, while the weekend wrap-up edition hosted by Bestwick airs that night at 10:00pm/et. Briscoe, Mike Massaro and Marty Smith will be reporters at Homestead.(ESPN)(11-16-2010)

Tim Richmond Featured in Tuesday Night ESPN ’30 for 30’ Film: Former NASCAR driver Tim Richmond, a star of the sport before his death from AIDS in 1989, will be the subject of a documentary airing on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 8:00 pm/et on ESPN as part of ESPN Films’ critically acclaimed film series 30 for 30 Presented by Cadillac.Tim Richmond: To the Limit, produced for ESPN by the NASCAR Media Group and directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Rory Karpf, tells the story of Richmond with the words of many who knew him well and some who competed against him on the track. Former NASCAR drivers Darrell Waltrip and Richard and Kyle Petty, champion team owner Rick Hendrick, movie director Hal Needham, famed racing promoter H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, ESPN reporters Dr. Jerry Punch and Ed Hinton, Richmond’s sister Sandy Welsh and friends from his hometown of Ashland, Ohio, are among those appearing in the film.
In the 1980s, Richmond lived his life the way he raced cars – wide open. Born into a wealthy family, Richmond was the antithesis of the Southern, blue-collar racers who dominated NASCAR. He also was a flamboyant showman who basked in the attention of the media and fans – especially the attention of female admirers. Nevertheless, it was Richmond’s on-track performances that ended up drawing comparisons to racing legends. And in 1986, when he won seven NASCAR races and finished third in the Winston Cup series points race, some believed he was on the verge of stardom. But soon his freewheeling lifestyle caught up to him. He unexpectedly withdrew from the NASCAR racing circuit, reportedly suffering from double pneumonia. In reality, the diagnosis was much more dire: he had AIDS. Richmond returned to the track in 1987, winning at Pocono in his comeback race, but he was gone from the sport by the next year as his health deteriorated. He spent his final days as a recluse, dying on August 13, 1989, at the age of 34.
The film takes viewers back to the time of Richmond’s illness and death, an era when AIDS created near-hysteria around the world, and those who had the disease were shunned. Former Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis, who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988, speaks in the film about the time and Punch, a physician, relates that in the medical world, there was still much to be learned about AIDS. Select films from the series are available for purchase on iTunes the day following air. Additional films are available for purchase at www.amazon.com/30for30.(10-18-2010)

ESPN Motorsports Producer Arrested UPDATE 2: Neil Goldberg, 52, a producer for ESPN's motorsports coverage, was arrested on a warrant charging him with public indecency, simple trespass, disorderly conduct and breach of peace, police said. He lives in the complex where the incident happened, they said. The incident that led to the charges happened last month in the complex where he lives, Lt. Marshall Porter said Wednesday. He posted $1,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Hartford, CT later this month. Goldberg is coordinating producer for ESPN's motorsports coverage, which includes NASCAR telecasts.(full story at the Hartford Courant)(10-6-2010)UPDATE: ESPN issued a statement Wednesday that "We are in the process of looking into it,'' in regard to the Goldberg case. ESPN did confirm that Goldberg will not be calling the shots for this weekend's Nationwide and Cup races at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Jill Frederickson, senior coordinating producer for motorsports coverage, will produce this weekend's two broadcasts.(Virginian Pilot)(10-8-2010)UPDATE 2: An ESPN producer who was charged with public indecency after a peeping Tom complaint at a Connecticut apartment complex has left the network. ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys confirmed Monday that 52-year-old Neil Goldberg no longer works for the company. Goldberg had been the coordinating producer of motorsports coverage for Bristol-based ESPN. A message seeking comment was left at a phone listing for Goldberg.(Associated Press)(10-12-2010)

ESPN looking into factors that are impacting Chase ratings: Despite an on-track product that many feel is better than in recent years, the first two Chase For The Sprint Cup races saw startling drops in television ratings. The New Hampshire rating dropped 28% from 3.2 to 2.3 while the Dover rating fell 23% from 3.1 to 2.4. While the 2009 Chase races were on ABC, a switch to ESPN was not the reason for the drop, said ESPN Vice President of Programming & Acquisitions Julie Sobieski. “It’s concerning to us,” Sobieski said in a phone interview Friday. “We’re looking at every single factor that we can possibly look at. There’s so many things that are potentially at play. The rating declines that we’ve seen are not from broadcast-only homes. We know it’s not from the drop of broadcast to cable. Last year, ESPN outdelivered ABC. We don’t think it’s attributed to that.”
The network will research whether it is possible the 1:00pm/et start times had something to do with the drop. NASCAR went to consistent start times this year, and the 1:00pm/et start for all East and Central time zone races allowed races to end earlier but it also coincided with the start time for NFL games. With three hours representing a typical race telecast, the NASCAR events have ended around the same time as 1:00pm/et NFL games. ESPN preferred to have its races start at 2:00pm/et during the Chase when the races were on ABC [fans preferred 12:00noon/et].
“While during the rest of the year that may not be a factor, it is something we are paying attention to in conjunction with the start of the NFL season,” Sobieski said. “Whereas when it was at 2 o’clock, we were ending that race at the beginning of the 4 o’clock [NFL game] window. We’re now concluding those races right up against the 1 o’clock windows. That’s just one factor we’re trying to looking into. We need some more research. The first two weeks isn’t enough to tell us that.”
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston agreed that it's too early to determine if the Chase races would draw better ratings with a 2:00pm/et start. "NASCAR and our partners worked really diligently with the tracks to get everybody on a very well-coordinated schedule for the earlier and 1 o'clock start times," Poston said. "Any time you have change, that is tough on your fan base. We'd obviously be open to anything that makes sense, but at this stage we'd want to give this a little more time before we made a quick decision."
Last year, while ESPN’s six races leading into the Chase saw a ratings increase of 2%, ABC saw a drop of 8% for its 11 races last year. None of the 10 Chase races showed ratings improvement from 2008 to 2009. Sobieski said she did not believe it was a problem with the Chase. “I think there is strong competition [on TV] this time of year,” Sobieski said. “That’s much more the case likely than anything specific to the Chase. The fans continue to give more positive feedback and more positive understanding of the Chase itself. It is a good race this year. It is a tight points race.” Compared to 2008, the ratings for 2010 were down 39% for New Hampshire and 27% for Dover.(in part from SceneDaily), imagine if ESPN used their online properties a little more and promoted them [ESPN.com. Racecast, the Guru in Fantasy & Jayski.com], would help the promotion of their TV coverage.(10-3-2010)

Tim Richmond Documentary to Air on ESPN in October: Former NASCAR driver Tim Richmond will be the subject of a new film airing on ESPN on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 8:00 pm/et. ESPN Films has announced the fall schedule for its critically acclaimed film series 30 for 30 Presented by Cadillac. The series’ remaining films will begin airing Tuesday, Aug. 24, at 8:00 pm on ESPN/ESPN HD, and will air Tuesday nights throughout the fall.Tim Richmond: To the Limit (Rory Karpf) Natural. Rock star. Outsider. In the 1980s, race car driver Tim Richmond lived his life the way he raced cars – wide open. Born into a wealthy family, Richmond was the antithesis of the Southern, blue-collar racers who dominated NASCAR. He also was a flamboyant showman who basked in the attention of the media and fans – especially the attention of female admirers. Nevertheless, it was Richmond’s on-track performances that ended up drawing comparisons to racing legends. And in 1986, when he won seven NASCAR races and finished third in the Winston Cup series points race, some believed he was on the verge of stardom. But soon his freewheeling lifestyle caught up to him. He unexpectedly withdrew from the NASCAR racing circuit, reportedly suffering from double pneumonia. In reality, the diagnosis was much more dire: He had AIDS. Richmond returned to the track in 1987, but he was gone from the sport by the next year as his health deteriorated. He spent his final days as a recluse, dying on August 13, 1989, at the age of 34. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rory Karpf will examine the life and tragic death of one of NASCAR’s shooting stars.
Films added to the fall lineup include Little Big Men (Al Szymanski and Peter Franchella), Unmatched (Directors: Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern Winters; Producer: Hannah Storm), Four Days in October (Major League Baseball Productions) and Pony Excess (Thaddeus D. Matula). These films join the previously announced Jordan Rides the Bus, One Night in Vegas, The House of Steinbrenner, Marion Jones: Press Pause, Steve Bartman: Catching Hell, Once Brothers, Into The Wind and The Best That Never Was. The schedule:
* Tuesday, Aug. 24, 8 p.m. – Jordan Rides the Bus (Ron Shelton)
* Tuesday, Aug. 31, 8 p.m. – Little Big Men (Al Szymanski and Peter Franchella)
* Tuesday, Sept. 7, 8 p.m. – One Night in Vegas (Reggie Bythewood)
* Tuesday, Sept. 14, 8 p.m. – Unmatched (Directors: Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern Winters; Producer: Hannah Storm)
* Tuesday, Sept. 21, 8 p.m. – The House of Steinbrenner (Barbara Kopple)
* Tuesday, Sept. 28, 8 p.m. – Into The Wind (Steve Nash)
* Tuesday, Oct. 5, 8 p.m. – Four Days in October (Major League Baseball Productions)
* Tuesday, Oct. 12, 8 pm. – Once Brothers (NBA Entertainment) * Tuesday, Oct. 19, 8 p.m. – Tim Richmond: To the Limit (Rory Karpf )
* Tuesday, Oct. 26, 8 p.m. – Steve Bartman: Catching Hell (Alex Gibney)
* Tuesday, Nov. 2, 8 p.m. – Marion Jones: Press Pause (John Singleton)
* Tuesday, Nov. 9, 8 p.m. – Pony Excess (Thaddeus D. Matula)
*Saturday, Dec. 11, 9 p.m. – The Best That Never Was (Jonathan Hock) * two hoursThe series “30 for 30” is an unprecedented documentary series featuring 30 films from some of today’s finest storytellers. Each filmmaker brings their passion and personal point of view to their film detailing the issues, trends, athletes, teams, rivalries, games and events that transformed the sports landscape from 1979 to 2009. Crossing the barriers of sports, the films reflect on the impact these events had across the pop culture spectrum.
Select films from the series are available for purchase on iTunes the day following air. Additional films are available for purchase at www.amazon.com/30for30.(ESPN)(7-29-2010)

Special Episode of SportsCenter Airs from Indianapolis: ESPN’s flagship program SportsCenter will present a half-hour special from Indianapolis Motor Speedway on ESPN at 7:00pm/et on Saturday, July 24, the eve of ESPN’s live telecast of NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 at the famed track. SportsCenter at the Brickyard will be hosted by Allen Bestwick with analysts Dale Jarrett and Ray Evernham. SportsCenter at the Brickyard will preview Sunday’s race with analysis, features and interviews and will lead into ESPN’s live telecast of that night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race from O’Reilly Raceway Park near Indianapolis.(7-24-2010)

ESPN Debuts NASCAR-Themed Branding Campaign: During this week’s lead-up to the July 25 Brickyard 400, ESPN will launch the next phase of its new brand campaign which will feature the haulers used to transport NASCAR Sprint Cup teams from track-to-track. “It’s Not Crazy, It’s Sports” debuted July 12 with a baseball-themed spot. ESPN’s first brand campaign since 2005 demonstrates ESPN’s shared passion for sports and celebrates the idiosyncrasies and unique stories that are the social currency of passionate sports fans.
The NASCAR-themed ads, the third phase of the campaign, show that the competitive nature of NASCAR drivers also extends to the drivers of their team haulers. The second phase looked back at the Apollo 14 mission where astronauts Edgar Mitchell and Alan Shepard took a few golf swings on the surface of the moon. Future spots for the campaign will roll out in the coming months. W+K New York served as the creative agency.
ESPN also has two new promotional spots airing in support of the launch of its NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage this week at the Brickyard 400. Click HERE to view 60 and 30-second versions of the NASCAR haulers spot as well as the Brickyard 400 and Sprint cup spots.(ESPN)(7-23-2010)

NASCAR Now Goes Live from Indianapolis: ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will originate from Indianapolis Motor Speedway for four episodes this week surrounding the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season on ESPN.
A one-hour episode of NASCAR Now hosted by Allen Bestwick airs from Indianapolis on Thursday, July 22, at 5:00pm/et with a preview of the weekend’s NASCAR action. Bestwick also hosts a half-hour show on Friday, July 23, at 6:30 pm/et with reports on the day’s activities at Indy as well as other NASCAR news.
Two one-hour episodes will sandwich ESPN’s live telecast of Sunday’s Brickyard 400. NASCAR Now hosted by Nicole Briscoe airs at 10:00 am/et with a preview of the race, including driver interviews and features, while a weekend wrap-up edition airs at 10:00 pm/et hosted by Bestwick. The weekend wrap-up edition of NASCAR Now will be a part of ESPN’s coverage of the final 17 weeks of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. NASCAR on ESPN analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree, Brad Daugherty, Rusty Wallace and Ray Evernham, NASCAR Now co-host and reporter Mike Massaro and lead reporter Marty Smith also will contribute to the on-site Indianapolis coverage.(7-22-2010)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Returns to ESPN from Indianapolis: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to ESPN with a live, flag-to-flag telecast of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 25. The telecast is presented by Golden Corral. The NASCAR Countdown pre-race show kicks off the day at noon ET with the race telecast starting at 1:00pmn/et and the race’s green flag is scheduled for 1:19 pm. The Indianapolis race is the first of 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup events to be produced by ESPN to close out the 2010 NASCAR season, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Of the 17 races, 14 will air on ESPN and three on ABC. ESPN’s coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway includes a live telecast of NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Saturday, July 24, at 10:00am/et, and telecasts of two practice sessions for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cars on the famed 2.5-mile track, all on ESPN2. The first practice session airs Friday, July 23, at 2:00pm/et, while final practice airs Saturday at 3:30pm/et. All programming airs in high definition.
Five former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions will be an integral part of ESPN’s coverage team at the Brickyard, including analyst Dale Jarrett, the 1999 driving champion, who will work with two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree and lap-by-lap announcer Marty Reid in the booth. Two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch.
NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will feature analysis by 1989 champion driver Rusty Wallace and three-time champion crew chief Ray Evernham, with host Allen Bestwick and analyst Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race. Following the race, additional reports, analysis and interviews from Indianapolis will air on ESPN’s flagship program SportsCenter as will be the case for all 14 races airing on ESPN.(7-21-2010)

Dale Jr. Featured on SportsCenter My Wish July 19: #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently brightened the day of an ill 15-year-old Maine boy through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and highlights of the boy’s day with Earnhardt will air Monday, July 19, on the 6 p.m. edition of ESPN’s flagship news and information program SportsCenter as part of the SportsCenter “My Wish” series. Jeffrey Buzzell of Hermon, Maine, who has Alport syndrome, wished to meet Earnhardt and learn about the inner workings of a NASCAR team. The wish was granted May 20-22 around the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Buzzell and his family were given a tour of JR Motorsports, a 66,000-square-foot facility that serves as the nucleus of Earnhardt’s racing operation and business interests. Afterwards, they went to Earnhardt’s home and raced on his private go-kart track. Before the All-Star race, Buzzell took a tour of the garage and pit area, took part in driver introductions and then watched Earnhardt and the other NASCAR drivers battle it out from a private suite at the speedway.
Buzzell on his wish with Dale Earnhardt Jr.: “A few seconds after getting out of the limo, I saw Dale come out of his garage and walk towards me. I didn’t know what to do or think. All I remember was putting one hand on my chest and shaking his with the other. I had the time of my life and I will never forget my amazing trip or the amazing people I met.”
The 2010 edition of the critically acclaimed SportsCenter “My Wish” series in collaboration with the Make-A-Wish Foundation will debut Sunday, July 18, during the 10 a.m. SportsCenter. The series will continue Monday through Thursday with a new wish each day during the 6 p.m. edition. In addition to Earnhardt, Wishes include the three-time Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders (Sunday, July 18), three-time National League MVP Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals (Tuesday, July 20), supercross and motocross athlete Travis Pastrana (Wednesday, July 21), and New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson (Thursday, July 22). Emmy Award-winning reporter Chris Connelly will host for the fifth straight year as ESPN chronicles sports-themed wishes granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to children with life-threatening medical conditions.
ESPN starts its coverage of the final 17 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 25.(ESPN)(7-17-2010)

Analyst LaJoie suspended indefinitely: NASCAR and ESPN have each suspended racing analyst and former driver Randy LaJoie indefinitely for violating its substance-abuse policy. In an interview Tuesday on SIRIUS XM Radio, LaJoie said he smoked marijuana once in May. LaJoie was tested by NASCAR because he wanted to become a spotter for one of Joe Gibbs Racing's Nationwide Series teams. He has not competed at any of NASCAR's top three national levels since 2006 and has been an analyst for NASCAR the past several years. "I take full responsibility for my actions and respect NASCAR's decision," LaJoie said in a statement. "I wish to apologize to my wife and family first, to NASCAR, to my fans and to the various media companies which I work including ESPN, Sirius Radio, Speed Channel and Performance Racing Network. I have this day sought to enroll in a substance abuse program. My use of marijuana was an isolated incident following the Coca Cola 600. "I plan to follow the recommendations of the substance abuse counselor and suggestions of NASCAR and hope that someday I can prove to NASCAR and all the people with whom I associate that I have taken such steps to see that instances such as this do not reoccur." LaJoie raced in 44 races over 12 years in NASCAR's elite Cup Series. His success was in the Nationwide Series, where he won 15 races over 19 seasons and two Nationwide Series championships.(ESPN). See more on my Nationwise Series page.(6-22-2010)

ESPN Motor Sports Coverage Earns Five Sports Emmy Nominations: ESPN’s coverage of motor sports earned five Sports Emmy Award nominations, among an industry-leading 54 nominations earned by ESPN, Inc., it was announced today by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. For the ninth time in 10 years, ESPN earned the most nominations of any submitting company. The winners will be announced Monday, April 26. The five nominations in motor sports included both NASCAR and the Indianapolis 500.
Outstanding Live Sports Special: The Indy 500
Outstanding Technical Team Remote: NASCAR on ESPN
Outstanding Technical Team Studio: ESPN Pit Studio and ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage
Outstanding Production Design/Art Direction: The Indy 500
Outstanding Editing: NASCAR Sprint Cup Season in Review (produced by NASCAR Media Group for ESPN2)
In addition, ESPN’s marketing department received a nomination for Outstanding Sports Promotional Announcement: NASCAR on ESPN - Feel Your Heart Race.(ESPN)(3-19-2010)

Craven joining ESPN Nationwide broadcast at Nashville: After two years as a studio analyst at ESPN, former Sprint Cup Series regular and Maine native Ricky Craven is readying to take the next step in his NASCAR broadcasting career. Ricky Craven will leave the cozy confines of the studio behind on April 3 and make his first foray into race coverage when he joins the ESPN broadcast booth for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Nashville 300 from Nashville Superspeedway. Craven, a Newburgh, Me. native former K&N Pro Series East champion, will join Dale Jarrett and Marty Reid in the booth for ESPN's Nationwide Series telecast from Nashville. Its expected to be the first of a few appearances for Craven calling events this year for ESPN. Craven, who retired from full-time racing in the Sprint Cup Series after the 2004 season, will be filling in for regular ESPN Nationwide Series analyst Andy Petree for the Nashville event.(Hartford Courant)(3-14-2010)

ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage goes on tour: Craftsman and ESPN are giving race fans a VIP NASCAR racing experience right in their own back yard with special events held in eight markets across the country. Fans will get a behind-the-scenes look at the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, the Sports Emmy Award-winning traveling television studio used throughout the network’s multi-platform NASCAR race coverage. Fans can experience “pit row” with complimentary vehicle inspections by a Sears Auto Center Mechanic, and have the chance to get up close and personal with the tools trusted by NASCAR. The events will take place at Sears store locations from March through September, kicking off in Atlanta on March 6. Inside the Tech Garage, fans can check out all the props, demos and Craftsman tools used during race telecasts to help fans better understand the technical and mechanical aspects of NASCAR racing. Tech Garage host and NASCAR analyst Tim Brewer, a two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion crew chief, will be at each of the eight events to meet fans and give tours.
Fans can also have their car inspected and diagnosed by a Sears Auto Center Mechanic, checking vitals such as windshield wipers and oil levels, tire pressure and tire tread wear. Sears Auto Center is a leading provider of automotive maintenance and repair services, tires, parts and accessories. Other activities include NASCAR®-themed games and prizes, including a tire change and jack challenge where participants can test their pit crew skills. The first 200 attendees to arrive at each event will receive a Craftsman game card that can be redeemed for a gift card worth up to $100. The events are free to attend.
Demonstration stations will allow attendees to try out some of the newest tool innovations from the Craftsman brand, including the Craftsman Dog Bone and Craftsman Universal Wrench. Craftsman tools are trusted week in and week out to get the job done on the race track, but car owners don’t need to be pros to tackle at-home auto maintenance, especially in today’s economy where DIY car care is a great way to save money. The Craftsman brand offers mechanics tools, cordless drill/drivers, garage storage and more to get the job done. Most Craftsman hand tools have a lifetime warranty, so you can trust they will always be available to help get the job done. The event tour schedule is as follows. All events are from noon to 4 p.m. local time outside the Sears store location.
* March 6: Atlanta, Gwinnett Place Mall (Duluth, Ga.)
* April 10: Phoenix, Paradise Valley Mall (Phoenix)
* April 18: Dallas, Town East Mall (Mesquite, Texas)
* May 23: Charlotte, N.C., Carolina Mall (Concord, N.C.)
* July 11: Chicago, Chicago Ridge Mall (Chicago Ridge, Ill.)
* July 18: Indianapolis, Castleton Square (Indianapolis)
* Aug. 28: Nashville, Tenn., Cool Springs Galleria (Franklin, Tenn.)
* Sept. 12: Richmond, Va., Chesterfield Towne Center (Richmond, Va.)
Fans can visit www.craftsman.com/officialtools for more information about the events, event locations and official game card rules. On the Web site, fans can also follow the Tech Garage as it travels from city to city, watch video and look at photos from event location and check out special Craftsman brand promotions.(ESPN)(3-5-2010)

ESPN2’s Daytona Nationwide Series Telecast sets Cable Viewership Record: With an average of more than 4.2 million people watching, ESPN2’s live telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season-opening race from Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 13 has set a record as the most-viewed Nationwide Series race ever on cable. The race telecast, which featured the NASCAR debut of open wheel racing star Danica Patrick, earned a fast national household coverage rating of 3.2, averaging 4,271,365 viewers in 3,170,109 households. The viewership numbers eclipse the previous Nationwide Series cable records of 3,954,798 viewers and 2,946,951 households set by TNT for its telecast of the 2006 Daytona race. Data shows that viewers stayed with the telecast even after Patrick was eliminated in a multi-car crash just past the halfway point of the race. ESPN2 peaked with a 3.5 household coverage rating for the last 20 minutes of the race as Tony Stewart held off a pack of drivers to take victory. ESPN2’s 3.2 rating for Daytona was up 33% from the 2.4 rating for last year’s Daytona race and 28% higher than the 2.5 rating for the 2008 race, previously the network’s highest rating ever for a NASCAR Nationwide Series race. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with select races airing on ESPN and ABC. The next race is at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 20, with the ESPN2 telecast beginning at 5:00pm/et.(ESPN)(2-17-2010)

Too much Danica on TV coverage? NASCAR on ESPN analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree, lap-by-lap announcer Marty Reid and ESPN vice president, motorsports, Rich Feinberg participated in a news conference Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway. Live coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season-opening race at Daytona airs Saturday, Feb. 13, beginning at noon ET with NASCAR Countdown.How do you balance the telecast on Saturday to not have too much Danica?Rich Feinberg – “We actually talked about that in our staff meeting this morning. First of all, I watched the ARCA race, and I thought SPEED’s presentation was very balanced. I enjoyed it. There was a lot of Danica, but the reality is that was why I personally turned on the race, so it gave me what I was looking for. As big a story as that is, there are a lot of other stories here. First and foremost, it’s about racing in Daytona. It’s the biggest race for a lot of people. You win at Daytona and things change for you. And that’s going to be our primary thing. After that, the next biggest story, and quite frankly opportunity for all of us, is Danica. It’s our strong belief that there will be people that turn on Saturday’s Nationwide telecast that perhaps don’t watch a lot of Nationwide races or NASCAR at all, because of the interest in her. We want to serve that curiosity. We want to serve that interest because our belief is if they like what they see, and we provide them what they’re interested in, they may come back next week, and next week, and watch Fox’ Daytona 500 coverage, and read more stories. The more people that watch, the more successful the entire sport is. It’s a balance thing but we also view it as an opportunity.”(ESPN), see full transcript at espnmediazone.com.(2-11-2010)

Nine of Ten Chase races on ESPN: Nine of the 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and 14 total races in all will air on ESPN next season, the network announced Wednesday. ABC, which aired 11 races last year, will air three NASCAR races in 2010 -- all on Saturday nights. ESPN will handle the other 14 races to end the season, starting with the Brickyard 400 on July 25 and concluding with the final race of the season Nov. 21 at Miami-Homestead. All of the East Coast races will begin at 1:00pm/et. West Coast races will begin at 3:00pm/et (other than the Sept. 5 race at Atlanta, which is a 7:30pm/et start). The three Saturday night races on ABC will be at Bristol (Aug. 21); Richmond (Sept. 11); and Charlotte (Oct. 16), with the Charlotte race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. All are scheduled to begin at 7:30pm/et. "Last year's performance showed us that ESPN provides the best home for NASCAR," said John Skipper, ESPN executive vice president, content, in a statement.
"This is exciting news for NASCAR and our fans," said NASCAR Media Group President Paul Brooks, in a statement. "The ESPN subscriber base is larger than ever at nearly 100 million, and the network has the proven ability to attract younger viewers. As the premier network during the most competitive time of the year for sports, having more NASCAR races on ESPN will create more exposure." Starting on Aug. 28, ABC will show 16 straight weeks of sports on Saturday nights, including the Little League World Series, three NASCAR races and 12 college football games.(ESPN)(1-13-2010)

2009 News

Marty Reid Will Call ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Races in 2010: Marty Reid, whose 28-year career with ESPN has touched all forms of motorsports the network has covered, will expand his role and join analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree in the booth as lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s full season of NASCAR coverage in 2010. Reid will call the action for all 17 of ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup races as well as many of the network’s NASCAR Nationwide Series telecasts. He was lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s IndyCar Series coverage and selected NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2009.
Returning to a role he helped define for ESPN for more than 20 years, Dr. Jerry Punch will join ESPN’s team of pit reporters for 2010, working both Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races. Punch was lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s Sprint Cup coverage the past three years. “This group gives us the most versatile and comprehensive team in motorsports, and strengthens us in the booth,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, studio and event production. “We play to the strengths of our announcers, and Marty’s strength is calling the tactical aspects of the race while deferring to the analysts. And from the early days of our NASCAR coverage, Jerry helped evolve the significant role that reporting from the pits plays,” Williamson said. “He will bolster our already-strong stable of pit reporters.”
All other members of the NASCAR on ESPN race coverage team will return in 2010, including analysts Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty, Tim Brewer and Ray Evernham, NASCAR Countdown host Allen Bestwick and pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch. Specific assignments and schedules will be announced later.
In addition to his expanded role with NASCAR, Reid will continue as the lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s five-race IndyCar Series schedule, including the Indianapolis 500. ESPN’s 2010 NASCAR season begins with live, flag-to-flag coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 13. The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race on ESPN’s schedule is at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 25.(ESPN)(12-16-2009)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion to appear on Multiple ESPN Platforms Monday: As has become a tradition, the newly-crowned NASCAR Sprint Cup champion will appear on multiple ESPN platforms Monday, November 23, 2009 during a visit to ESPN’s campus in Bristol, CT.
ESPN First Take will host the champion for an interview at 11:40am/et on ESPN2, followed by a live chat on ESPN.com at 12:30pm/et. ESPN’s flagship news and information program SportsCenter will welcome the champion for a live interview at 1:10pm/et.
A live appearance on ESPNEWS at 2:10pm/et will precede an interview on the Scott Van Pelt program on ESPN Radio at 2:25pm/et. The final live interview will be on ESPN’s Outside the Lines at 2:40pm/et.
Before departing Miami, the champion will start his day with an 8:10am/et phone interview on the popular Mike and Mike In the Morning program on ESPN Radio (simulcast on ESPN2). A recorded interview will air on the evening SportsCenter on ESPN Deportes.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season Finale Live on ABC: The 2009 season finale for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is this weekend at Florida’s Homestead-Miami Speedway as the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ends with the crowning of the champion. ESPN’s live, flag-to-flag coverage of the Ford 400 airs Sunday, Nov. 22, on ABC and ABC HD beginning with NASCAR Countdown at 2:30pm/et. The race’s green flag is scheduled for 3:30pm/et. Also from Homestead, ESPN2 airs coverage of NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Friday, Nov. 20, at 3:00pm/et, as well as coverage of final practice on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 3:00pm/et.
Dr. Jerry Punch will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.
Allen Bestwick will host the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty, co-owner of a winning team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Ray Evernham in the ESPN pit studio.

SportsCenter Special Originates from Homestead on Championship Day: ESPN’s flagship program SportsCenter will present a 90-minute special from Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 1:00pm/et, following NFL Countdown on ESPN. The telecast will lead up to NASCAR Countdown on ABC at 2:30pm/et. SportsCenter presented by AutoZone at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship will be hosted by Allen Bestwick and will give NASCAR fans the opportunity to see things that go on prior to a race that they normally don’t get to see. Mike Rowe, host of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel, will be a special on-site reporter for ESPN and look at some of the dirty jobs of NASCAR. Rowe’s voice has been heard by NASCAR fans as the narrator of segments during ESPN’s coverage of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup this season.
ESPN’s Dave Burns will spend the program shadowing the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson, taking viewers behind-the-scenes as the car goes through final race preparation and NASCAR inspection. And ESPN’s Marty Smith will shadow Johnson himself in the hours before he attempts to make history as the first driver to win four consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships.
The program also will include a heartwarming story of how the building of Homestead-Miami Speedway in 1994 and 1995 helped bring the Homestead area back from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Andrew, one of the worst natural disasters in history, on Aug. 24, 1992.
Joining Bestwick in the ESPN Pit Studio will be analysts Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty and Ray Evernham. Several NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers also are expected to stop by the studio during the course of the program.

ESPN Classic Returns to North Wilkesboro Speedway: With long-dormant North Wilkesboro (NC) Speedway scheduled to re-open late in 2010, ESPN Classic will bring NASCAR fans back to the 0.625-mile short track with a look at the 1989 Holly Farms 400, a NASCAR Winston Cup race. A one-hour highlights program airs Monday, Nov. 23, at 12noon/et.

NASCAR Now Originates from Homestead for Season Finale: NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program, will close out its 2009 season with four shows originating from Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of this weekend’s final races of the NASCAR season. Allen Bestwick will host the programs with analysts including Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty, Ray Evernham and Dale Jarrett, and reporters Mike Massaro, Nicole Manske and Marty Smith.
The first program from Homestead airs Friday, Nov. 20, at 12:30am/et (late Thursday night), with another airing Saturday, Nov. 21, at 12:30am/et (late Friday night). The one-hour weekend edition airs Sunday, Nov. 22, at 10:am/et with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup finale at Homestead, with the final NASCAR Now of the season airing at 10:00pm/et Sunday. Massaro hosts half-hour editions of NASCAR Now from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Ct., on Wednesday, Nov. 17, at 1:30am/et (late Tuesday night), and Wednesday at 6:00pm/et. Smith will report from Miami for both programs.

NASCAR Now Previews Chase in Expanded Episode: ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will report from Chase Media Day in New York and from historic Fenway Park in Boston in an expanded one-hour episode on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 5:30pm/et. Host Mike Massaro will preview the Chase with driver interviews from New York, while members of the Roush Fenway Racing team and some guests from the Boston Red Sox will be interviewed from Boston during the hour as well.

ESPN College Football Announcers Take 200 mph NASCAR Rides: With three big sporting events on the ESPN networks originating from Atlanta this weekend, ESPN college football announcers Brent Musburger and Lisa Salters took a 200 mph look at one of the sports Friday [Sept. 4th] at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Musburger, who will call ESPN on ABC's telecast of the Virginia Tech-Alabama game Saturday night from the Georgia Dome, and sideline reporter Salters went for high-speed rides around the 1.5-mile superspeedway in a special two-seater stock car with NASCAR Sprint Cup driver #11-Denny Hamlin at the wheel. Hamlin will compete in Sunday night's 500-mile race that will air live on ESPN. In addition, ESPN2 will have live coverage of Saturday night's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at AMS. Musburger, who hosted ESPN's NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage in 2007, had been for a ride around Daytona International Speedway with former NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip more than 20 years ago, but after emerging from the two-seater race car today said "he (Waltrip) wasn't cranking on it like Denny did today. "They asked me if I wanted to go down to the speedway and go for a little ride, and I said sure that sounds like fun, but little did I know that they'd be putting the pedal down to the metal like that. I rode with the Blue Angels once and I knew not to eat a big lunch today."
Musburger said his biggest feeling of uneasiness came when Hamlin brought the car to the top of the speedway's 24-degree banking, only inches from the retaining wall, the normal racing line at AMS. "He told me one thing I needed to know about this track was that they're always looking for something 'up top' to go faster, and when we were out there it was like 'Whoa! We're up top!'"
Salters, also a reporter for ESPN's E:60 newsmagazine, climbed from her car smiling and said she had a similar feeling during her three-lap ride when Hamlin came close to the wall. "It was exciting and scary," she said. "I was thinking that I have no control over what happens. I couldn't imagine doing that if there were other cars on the track." Previously a correspondent for ABC News, Salters was asked to compare the fear she felt during her ride to other experiences in her career. "I've been in war zones, and I've been in some bad neighborhoods in the United States," she said. "I'd have to say this is near the top." Musburger, who while a student sold tickets at the first Daytona 500 in 1959, said he keeps up with the sport and expects the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship to be a battle between Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson. "One thing I've always said about NASCAR drivers is that they are so close to their fans and sponsors, they do the best job of any athlete that I'm aware of," he said. "When you get to the end of an exciting NASCAR race, there's nothing like it in sports."(ESPN)(9-5-2009)

ESPN Begins Sprint Cup Coverage at Indianapolis: ESPN begins its coverage of the final 17 races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule with a live, flag-to-flag telecast of the 400-mile race at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 26, at 12:30pm/et. ESPN’s multimedia platforms will surround the race telecast on television, radio and online.
The telecast from Indianapolis is presented by Golden Corral and begins with an expanded, 1 hour, 45 minute NASCAR Countdown pre-race show that will include multiple features and interviews highlighting the significance, history and pageantry of the race and venue. The green flag flies at 2:19pm/et.
"Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the most famous and storied racing venues in the world and is certainly a fitting place for us to launch our NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage,” said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports, production. "As the speedway celebrates its centennial, we want to convey to our viewers how special the track and the race are with a spectacular and interesting telecast that focuses on the race itself and its importance to competitors and fans.”
Five former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions will be an integral part of ESPN’s coverage team at the Brickyard, including analyst Dale Jarrett, the 1999 driving champion, who will work with two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree and lap-by-lap announcer Dr. Jerry Punch in the booth. Two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch.
NASCAR Countdown presented by Degree V12 from the ESPN pit studio will feature analysis by 1989 champion driver Rusty Wallace and three-time champion crew chief Ray Evernham, with host Allen Bestwick and analyst Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.
ESPN will use 76 high definition cameras in the telecast, including the first usage in NASCAR of BatCam. The camera on a cable, which was used by ESPN in telecasts of the last two Indianapolis 500 races, will fly over the speedway’s frontstretch and pit road at more than 80 miles per hour to give viewers a dramatic look at the setting and action.
NASCAR Countdown will include a segment with actress/television host Kelly Ripa, who interviews her occasional Live with Regis and Kelly co-host #24-Jeff Gordon. The interview in a New York City park focuses not only on Gordon's racing career, but also on how he was the first NASCAR driver to move into the entertainment spotlight. Ripa also will delve into how becoming a father has changed Gordon's outlook on his racing career.
Other features for NASCAR Countdown include #14-Tony Stewart and A.J. Foyt, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup point leader and his idol discuss their passions for racing, their love for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and their similar, volatile personalities. Also, a dramatic recap of the 2008 Indianapolis race and the tire debacle is told through the voices of various people involved; ESPN captures the essence of why racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is so special to stock car drivers; and ESPN racing champions and personalities Jarrett, Petree, Wallace, Evernham, Brewer and Daugherty enter a boxing ring to "duke it out" in a wild and dramatic debate about what will happen at the Brickyard and why.
The telecast’s opening segment is a cinematic look at four gladiators ready to do battle at the Brickyard once again: #48-Jimmie Johnson, who has dominated this track in recent years; Stewart, the hometowner who returns as owner/driver in the legendary #14; #18-Kyle Busch, who wins almost everywhere but has yet to win on the sport’s biggest stages; and Gordon, who has the chance to make history by being the only 5-time winner at the 100-year-old track.
ESPN’s coverage from Indianapolis also includes a live telecast of NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Saturday, July 25, at 10:00am/et, and telecasts of two practice sessions for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cars on the famed 2.5-mile track, all on ESPN2. The first practice session airs Friday, July 24, at 2:00pm/et, while final practice airs Saturday at 3:30pm/et. All programming airs in high definition.Other ESPN Platforms: In addition to the live telecasts on ESPN and ESPN2, the Indianapolis event will receive multiplatform coverage on other ESPN outlets:ESPN International’s networks and syndication of the NASCAR event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will reach more than 83 countries and territories and more than 94 million households worldwide. In addition, U.S. troops and their families serving around the world and Navy vessels at sea can watch via the American Forces Network.ESPN.com will provide surround coverage from the Brickyard with veteran motorsports writers Terry Blount, Ed Hinton, David Newton, Marty Smith, Ryan McGee, Angelique Chengelis and editor K. Lee Davis leading coverage. The crew will chat live Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the first NASCAR race of the track’s Centennial Era as well as maintain a live blog on race day.Jayski.com’s Mark Garrow will keep fans up to date with his regular podcasts as well as informative fantasy chat and a team-by-team breakdown from the garage the morning of the race. In addition, ESPN’s team of on-air announcers will contribute from the weekend’s festivities.
As part of the 2009 NASCAR on ESPN marketing campaign, ESPN.com is launching the “ESPN Virtual Pitwall” on July 22. Fans will be able to write personalized messages for their favorite drivers that will be posted to the pit wall (espn.com/pitwall). Fans also will be able to look through all the messages by driver to make sure no other driver has more support than their favorite.
SportsCenter at the Brickyard - ESPN’s flagship program SportsCenter will present a one-hour special from Indianapolis on ESPN at 7:00pm/et on Saturday, July 25. Bestwick will host the program, with Jarrett, Wallace, Evernham and Daugherty as analysts. Among features in the program will be Jarrett and defending race winner Jimmie Johnson playing a round of golf and discussing racing and life, and ESPN analysts who have tasted victory at the Brickyard (Jarrett, Evernham and Andy Petree) discussing their favorite memories.
In addition to the special, extensive reports, interviews and highlights will air on regular editions of SportsCenter and on ESPNEWS. Post-race driver news conferences will air on ESPNEWS.Feel Your Heart Race - ESPN2 will air Feel Your Heart Race, a half-hour look into why and how NASCAR attracts the most devoted fans in the country. The program airs Thursday, July 23, at 6:00pm/et. Produced and directed by noted documentary filmmaker Doug Pray and Oil Factory, the program allows viewers to take a look inside the hearts and minds of drivers and fans to reveal NASCAR as a sport that is honest, real, complex, beautiful and fueled by passion. The story is told directly and entirely by top NASCAR drivers and their fans without narration or commentary and contains scenes of life at the track, colorful fan interviews and surprisingly honest testimony from drivers themselves about what it really feels like to be behind the wheel.ESPN Radio’s Saturday RaceDay starts its engines at 6:00am/et on Saturday, July 25, with an hour of news, previews and analysis. ESPN Radio also provides auto racing fans the comprehensive Sunday RaceDay (6-7am Sundays), which covers the auto racing world.ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s Spanish-language television, radio and Internet in the U.S., will televise the Indianapolis race on a delayed basis, airing the event at 4:00am/et on Monday, July 27. ESPN Deportes auto racing commentators Andres Aguilla and Alex Pombo will provide lap-by-lap commentary and analysis in Spanish.

ESPN supportive of consistent race start times: Julie Sobieski, ESPN vice president, programming and acquisitions, was asked about consistent starting times for NASCAR Sprint Cup races during a media conference call Tuesday:JULIE SOBIESKI: "There's definitely been a lot of dialogue about start times, and a lot has been written. With ratings being down, there's lots of factors that are contributing to that. Can consistent start times make a difference? Certainly that's possible. We'd be supportive of consistent start times with ESPN and we know that's also been a priority for NASCAR to try and look at, so if it's good for the fans, and we think it's going to benefit ratings, then certainly we're onboard with that concept. It's ultimately NASCAR's call when it comes to the schedule of their races, and certainly the tracks as well. All we can do is have the open dialogue and support ultimately where NASCAR and the tracks feel (the starting time) is best to serve the fans. Nothing is set for next year, so I think that dialogue is ongoing and continuing, and we'll see where that ends up. NASCAR is going to need to make the decision that they feel is best for all their constituents involved."(ESPN PR)(7-22-2009)

Johnson, Castroneves Among Nominees for The 2009 ESPYs: #48-Jimmie Johnson and Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves are among the world-class athletes nominated for The 2009 ESPYs. The ESPYs gather top celebrities from sports and entertainment to commemorate the past year in sports by recognizing major sports achievements, reliving unforgettable moments and saluting the leading performers and performances. Fans will determine the winner in 37 categories (excluding special awards) by voting online at www.espys.tv or via mobile phone at www.espn.mobi. Voting begins today [June 25th] and runs through 11:59pm/et on July 11, and The 2009 ESPYs, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson and co-presented by Under Armour and Land Rover, will be televised Sunday, July 19, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN HD. A one-hour nomination show will be televised Friday, June 26, at 8:00pm/et on ESPN2.
Johnson, who tied a NASCAR record by winning his third consecutive Sprint Cup championship in 2008, is nominated in the “Best Male Athlete” category along with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and NBA stars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
Castroneves’ win in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 is nominated in the “Best Moment” category. Also nominated are the thrilling victory by the U.S. swim team in the Olympic relay and University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow’s emotional speech in a press conference following the team’s only loss during the 2008 season.
Johnson and Castroneves also are among five nominees in the “Best Driver” category, along with IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, NHRA Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher and Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton.
The ESPYs honor ESPN’s commitment to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a partnership launched with the late Jim Valvano at the inaugural ESPYs in 1993. For the second time in several years, a limited amount of ESPYs tickets are available for public purchase through www.ticketmaster.com. The 2009 ESPYs will be taped Wednesday, July 15, at the Nokia Theatre at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles. More info at www.espys.tv.(ESPN PR)(6-25-2009)

Marty Smith and team win fish tourney: They started late and their bass boat was bogged down by beer and Jack Daniel's, but somehow country artist Eric Church, ESPN NASCAR reporter Marty Smith and champion shotgun marksman Bill McGuire sped away with the grand prize at the second annual Porter Wagoner Memorial Artists & Anglers Fishing Tournament on Tuesday. Part of the festivities leading up to the CMA Music Festival, the tournament paired veteran anglers with artists from the country music world on Percy Priest Lake to honor The Thin Man From West Plains who was quite the bass-chaser in his day.(Tennessean), proceeds go to the Opry Trust Fund.(6-10-2009)

ESPN’s Jamie Little Appearing on Food Network’s Iron Chef: Jamie Little, pit reporter for ESPN’s coverage of NASCAR, will step out of her element as a guest judge on the popular Food Network program Iron Chef America. The program airs Sunday, June 7, at 10pm/et. The program pits a challenging chef against one of the network’s star chefs in a one-hour contest staged in “Kitchen Stadium.” The chefs must make a multi-course meal using a “secret ingredient” that they only learn about moments before the contest begins. Their work is then judged by a three-person panel to determine a winner. Little taped her appearance in New York City nearly a year ago and was sworn to secrecy. “I even had to sign documentation that I would not reveal what the secret ingredient was,” she said. The program re-airs June 11 at 8 p.m., June 13 at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. and Sept. 12 at 10 p.m.(ESPN)(6-6-2009)

ESPN’S NASCAR Coverage Earns 19th Sports Emmy Award: ESPN’s coverage of NASCAR earned its 19th Sports Emmy Award, among five presented to ESPN by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Monday night in New York. The NASCAR award was for Technical Team Studio in the 2008 season and honored the ESPN Pit Studio and Craftsman Tech Garage, two mobile studio facilities utilized across ESPN platforms. "We're humbled that our efforts associated with both the ESPN Pit Studio and the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage were recognized,” said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports. "Both are unique in our industry and are used as key elements of our NASCAR coverage." For its NASCAR Countdown studio shows that precede all NASCAR race telecasts, ESPN originates from the Pit Studio. The studio, which weighs nearly 78,000 pounds and travels all season, allows ESPN to bring the look and feel of its Bristol, Conn.,-based studio shows such as SportsCenter and Sunday NFL Countdown to the tracks. Host Allen Bestwick and analysts Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty man the pit studio for ESPN. The mobile pit studio is outfitted with state-of-the-art LED lighting, robotic HD cameras and a dramatic, contoured, video display fronting the anchor desk. Situated near the pits at every track, the studio is elevated 14 feet while in use and 30 foot glass windows give viewers a look at the cars, grandstands and pageantry prior to the race start. The ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage is an enclosed studio that contains two ESPN Chevy Cutaway Cars. The studio also has room for displays of other race car elements such as engines, transmissions and shock absorbers. ESPN’s Tim Brewer, a two-time NASCAR champion crew chief, and other ESPN analysts report from the Tech Garage during race telecasts to help viewers better understand the technical and mechanical aspects of NASCAR racing. The ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage allows ESPN to present segments in the telecasts that originate from an enclosed, controlled environment with no exterior interference, adding to the viewing experience and giving NASCAR fans more information. ESPN has now won 128 Sports Emmy Awards in 21 years of eligibility.(ESPN PR)(4-28-2009)

ESPN Motorsports Coverage Earns Five Sports Emmy Nominations: ESPN’s coverage of motorsports earned five Sports Emmy Award nominations, among an industry-leading 54 nominations earned by ESPN, Inc., it was announced today by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The 54 nominations were the most of any submitting company for the eighth time in nine years. The winners will be announced Monday, April 27. The five nominations in motorsports included the company’s production endeavors for live event coverage and technical expertise.
Outstanding Technical Team Remote: ESPN NASCAR 2008
Outstanding Technical Team Studio: ESPN NASCAR 2008 (Pit studio and Tech Center)
Outstanding Live Event Audio/Sound: ESPN NASCAR 2008
George Wensel Technical Achievement Award: Draft Track 2.0
Outstanding Open/Tease: 2008 Indianapolis 500: The Perfect Storm
ESPN has won 18 Sports Emmy Awards for motorsports in its history, 17 during the 1990s and one last year for 2007 and the network's return to NASCAR. Overall, ABC has won 160 Sports Emmy Awards since they were first given in 1980, while ESPN has won 123 in 21 years of eligibility.(ESPN PR)(4-4-2009)

Only Happy Landings for ESPN’s Shannon Spake: Despite growing up with a pilot for a father, ESPN NASCAR pit reporter Shannon Spake admits she has always been one to comment about bad landings on commercial airline flights – until now. “I’m never judging again,” said Spake, who flew a Southwest Airlines simulator at the airline’s Dallas headquarters Thursday prior to heading to nearby Texas Motor Speedway to work ESPN2’s telecast of Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series event. “I have a whole new respect,” said Spake, who flew in the right seat as her father, Southwest Captain Don Speacht, was in the pilot’s seat in the Boeing 737 simulator. “I did two landings, and all I could think about was how people like me sit in the back of those planes and judge landings. They make it seem so flawless, and until I did it I had no idea how much was involved.” But what she really enjoyed was a day at the office with her father. “He wanted to take me to work with him, and it was so much fun,” she said. “After all these years, I finally got to see him at work when we flew the simulator. That was just awesome.”(ESPN MediaZone)(4-4-2009)

OTL-Branded Series on ESPN's NASCAR Now to Examine the Economy’s Impact on NASCAR with the OTL-branded piece scheduled to run on ESPN2’s NASCAR Now Monday and Tuesday at 5pm, Wednesday at 6pm. What do a NASCAR fan, a pit crew engineer and Richard Petty have in common? Reporter Shannon Spake chronicles how the economy has hit NASCAR from the perspective of three of the sport’s major sectors.
* Monday, Feb. 9: Fans -- Some fans hit hard by the economy can’t afford to travel to races and therefore sell their tickets on Ebay.
* Tuesday, Feb. 10 : Pit crews – An engineer and tire changer lost his job five months ago.
* Wednesday, Feb 11: Richard Petty – One of NASCAR’s storied teams is enduring cutbacks.(ESPN PR)(2-9-2009)

ESPN at NASCAR’s Daytona Speedweeks: ESPN will provide 10 days of comprehensive coverage of Speedweeks and the start of the NASCAR season at Daytona International Speedway across its multimedia platforms. Television coverage, highlighted by a Daytona 500 origination for ESPN’s flagship program SportsCenter, an expanded schedule for ESPN2’s daily news program NASCAR Now, coverage of NASCAR Media Day on ESPNEWS, and NASCAR Nationwide Series practice and qualifying, will culminate with the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World 300 on ESPN2 Saturday, Feb. 14, at noon ET.
Other TV highlights include NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series preview shows on ESPN2 and the airing of multiple past Daytona 500 races on ESPN Classic.
SportsCenter at Daytona airs Saturday, Feb. 14, at 4 p.m. on ESPN2, originating from the Fan Zone at Daytona International Speedway. SportsCenter is ESPN's flagship studio show and television's only nightly, one-hour sports news program. Offering in-depth reports on breaking news, creative highlights, features and in-depth analysis from award-winning journalists, SportsCenter is television's most comprehensive and longest-running sports news show.
In addition to programming on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNEWS, which includes extensive coverage on SportsCenter, other ESPN platforms including ESPN.com, Jayski.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Classic and ESPN Mobile Properties also will surround the NASCAR Nationwide Series race telecast and the Daytona 500 with NASCAR-related programming and coverage. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with select races to be televised by ESPN and ABC. The networks also will provide coverage of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of the season, including all races in the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” on ABC.
Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for the Camping World 300 telecast, joined in the booth for analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.
Prior to the race, Allen Bestwick returns to host NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio, with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace, three-time NASCAR champion crew chief Ray Evernham and Brad Daugherty, a winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
ESPN2 also airs live coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying on Friday, Feb. 13, at 3 p.m., as well as NASCAR Nationwide Series practice coverage on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 9:30 a.m.

NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily news and information show totally dedicated to NASCAR, originates from Daytona with daily one-hour episodes the week of the Daytona 500. The Monday, Feb. 9, edition at 5 p.m. will feature a roundtable discussion with ESPN analysts Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty and Boris Said hosted by Allen Bestwick. Nicole Manske and Mike Massaro host NASCAR Now the rest of the week. Massaro and Manske will co-host ESPNEWS’ coverage of NASCAR Media Day on Thursday, Feb. 5, at noon, and conduct exclusive driver interviews from Daytona for the three-hour telecast.. They’ll be joined for analysis by former winning NASCAR driver Ricky Craven. ESPN2 airs season preview shows for both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series on Tuesday, Feb. 10, starting at 3 p.m. ESPN2 will have an airing of ESPN’s acclaimed original movie “3,” based on the life and racing career of seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, at 1 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15. ESPN Classic will air five classic Daytona 500 races beginning at 8 p.m. on the night before the Daytona 500.ESPN’S MULTIMEDIA PLATFORMS SURROUND DAYTONASportsCenter at Daytona -- SportsCenter will present a one-hour special from Daytona International Speedway on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, the eve of NASCAR’s Daytona 500. Hosted by Allen Bestwick, with analysts Rusty Wallace, Ray Evernham and Brad Daugherty, SportsCenter at Daytona will preview the Great American Race with analysis, opinion, and interviews with three-time Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon and former race winners Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip. SportsCenter at Daytona also will present a feature on the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Daytona 500, the first 500-mile race to be broadcast live on national television (CBS) which featured a final lap crash and subsequent fight between Cale Yarborough and brothers Donnie and Bobby Allison. Additionally, reporter Marty Smith will moderate a roundtable discussion with defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch.ESPN.com -- Extensive coverage will originate from Daytona. Award-winning motorsports journalists Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton and ESPN.com motorsports editor K. Lee Davis will lead the reporting team, with additional contributions from NASCAR Insiders Angelique Chengelis and Marty Smith. Hinton, Blount, Newton and other ESPN reporters and personalities maintain and regularly update blogs with their insights, perspectives and more within the ESPN Insider premium content section. ESPN.com, along with Jayski.com, will feature extensive video, audio and editorial coverage of the 2009 NASCAR season, as well as providing multiple ESPN Fantasy games and content distributed to other emerging platforms such as Apple’s iTunes Store and Microsoft’s X Box Live.ESPN.com RaceCast, ESPN.com’s enhanced, live race-day applications features a live animated graphic display, track information, lap leaders, race leaders, driver information and live in-race chat with ESPN announcers and reporters. NASCAR Surround features one-stop shopping for highlights, features, observations and stats of all races, running Friday-Monday. As part of ESPN.com’s integration with Jayski.com, veteran racing voice Mark Garrow returns as a frequent contributor this year, producing podcasts, hosting regular chats on ESPN.com, providing online video segments and appearances on NASCAR Now.Jayski.com -- ESPN-owned Jayski.com is considered one of the most influential Web sites in the motorsports world. Jayski has gained a reputation for consistently breaking industry stories and serving as the ultimate resource and trackside companion for NASCAR fans. Jayski’s editorial content during Daytona Speedweeks will help NASCAR fans keep up with late-breaking news, including updating any on-track incidents and garage news. Jayski also helps NASCAR fans understand the qualifying procedure for the Daytona 500, and NASCAR’s Top 35 rule, with updates and scenarios. And Jayski’s popular paint scheme section helps fans stay abreast of the new looks for NASCAR race teams.ESPNEWS – Coverage of NASCAR Media Day from noon - 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 5. Extensive reports and interviews during regular programming throughout Daytona Speed Weeks, including highlights from any news conferences.ESPN Radio – The Saturday Raceday program airs from 6 - 7 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14, with Sunday Raceday from 6 - 7 a.m. the next day. Both programs will originate from Daytona with host Pat Patterson. In addition, ESPN Radio will have daily reports during other programming in the week leading up to the race.ESPN International – ESPN is the exclusive worldwide syndicator outside of North America. NASCAR and ESPN are leveraging their combined resources to identify broadcast partnerships on a country by country basis to expand the scope and reach of NASCAR coverage. ESPN International is one of the world’s leading syndicators of sports programming and this relationship is helping maximize coverage of NASCAR and provide a solid base of distribution. Through a combination of sales and network programming, the 38 NASCAR Sprint Cup races and 35 NASCAR Nationwide Series races are now available to 114 countries and territories around the world.ESPN Classic – Starting at 8 p.m. on Feb. 15, the eve of the Daytona 500 , ESPN Classic televises highlights of five of the best Daytona 500 races of all time – 1979, 1990, 1998, 1999 and 2007. In addition, ESPN Classic re-airs an episode of its signature series SportsCentury featuring seven-time Daytona 500 winner Richard Petty on Friday, Feb. 13, at 9 a.m.ESPN Deportes -- ESPN’s 24-hour, Spanish-language sports network in the U.S. will carry the Camping World 300 on a tape-delayed basis beginning at 4 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15. ESPN Deportes’ NASCAR commentator team will feature Andrés Agulla (play-by-play) and Alex Pombo (analysis). In addition to the live telecast of the race, ESPN Deportes will have segments for its edition of SportsCenter. ESPN Deportes Radio -- The only around-the-clock national Spanish-language sports radio network in the U.S., and MRN Radio have an agreement that makes ESPN Deportes Radio the exclusive Spanish-language radio home of NASCAR racing’s premier events. ESPN Deportes Radio will provide up-to-the minute NASCAR news and information, highlighted with coverage of NASCAR’s three largest racing series - the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.ESPN Mobile Platforms -- ESPN’s multiple mobile platforms give fans on-the-go access to all the Daytona racing action, news and developments. ESPN Mobile TV (available on MediaFLO and MobiTV) will delver live mobile streaming of NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup races throughout the season, as well as news, analysis and feature video programs. ESPN MVP on Verizon Wireless will feature race highlights from NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races throughout the season, as well as all the latest news and information, ESPN.com columnists, in-progress race leader boards, customizable alerts, and complete control of your Fantasy Stock Car Racing team. In addition, fans can find ESPN.com coverage of NASCAR on the ESPN WAP site, the leading sports site on the wireless Web (and among the most-trafficked wireless Web sites in the world), with 9 million unique users per month.(ESPN PR)(2-6-2009)

Tom Cruise on ESPN2’s NASCAR Now Friday: The Friday, Feb. 6, edition of ESPN2’s NASCAR Now will include an original interview with actor Tom Cruise at 5pm/et. Cruise discusses his interest in NASCAR and how he drove a race car at Daytona while filming the 1990 movie Days of Thunder. The movie featured a young Cruise playing the role of Cole Trickle -- a hotshot rookie driver looking for success in NASCAR's premiere division. From the big screen to real life, Cruise has had a lifelong passion for racing. The NASCAR season begins this weekend at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach.(ESPN PR)(2-6-2009)

Official NASCAR Viewing Party of the Daytona 500 in NYC: the 4th annual viewing party of the Daytona 500 live in HD on a14-foot Big Screen at ESPN Zone in Times Square [at 42nd Street and Broadway -1472 Broadway, (212) 921-3776] in New York City is scheduled for Sunday, February 15th from 1:30pm/et until the conclusion of the race. Chance to win a trip for 2 to the 2009 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway by competing in a virtual racing tournament. Competition begins in the Sports Arena on the 3rd floor at 1:30pm, space is limited. Tailgate Toss competition to win 2 DreamSeat recliner seats in the front row of the Screening Room to watch the race; plus a $40 voucher for food and non-alcoholic beverages. Competition begins in the Sports Arena on the 3rd floor at 1:30pm, space is limited. This event is free and open to the public. Table service requires a minimum charge of $10 per person per hour. For more information you can go to: www.espnzone.com/newyork.(2-2-2009)

NASCAR Now Returns: ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now returns to the air for its third season on Monday, Feb. 2, to coincide with the beginning of the 2009 NASCAR racing season. The season’s first program, a one-hour roundtable discussion, airs at 5:00pm/et. Mike Massaro, who has been a pit reporter on ESPN’s NASCAR coverage the past two years, moves to the studio this year as a new co-host of NASCAR Now, joining returning co-hosts Nicole Manske and Allen Bestwick. NASCAR Now includes the latest news, highlights, opinion, debate and analysis from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both on and off the track. The program regularly airs at 5:00pm/et. Monday through Friday, with all programs 30 minutes except for the one-hour Monday roundtable. ESPN2 also airs a one-hour edition at 10:00am/et on the morning of each Sprint Cup race, and a weekend wrap-up edition will begin in July.
On Monday’s return episode, Bestwick leads the roundtable discussion of the latest NASCAR news with ESPN.com motorsports writer Ed Hinton and NASCAR Now lead reporter Marty Smith, both award-winning journalists, and ESPN motorsports analyst and NASCAR driver Boris Said. A five-part feature during the first week of the NASCAR Now season will tie in the 60th anniversary of NASCAR with Top 10 lists by the five former Sprint Cup champion analysts on ESPN’s NASCAR coverage team. Dale Jarrett will reveal his Top 10 personalities in NASCAR history, while Rusty Wallace lists his Top 10 tracks. Andy Petree reveals his Top 10 drivers and Tim Brewer lists his Top 10 finishes. Analyst Ray Evernham lists his Top 10 “coolest cars.” Other features during the first week include conversations about NASCAR with actor Tom Cruise and Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton; a visit by driver Ryan Newman to Fort Bragg as part of his new sponsorship from the U.S. Army; and a review of NASCAR’s “Silly Season.” During the week leading up to the Feb. 15 running of the Daytona 500, NASCAR Now airs a three-part series on NASCAR and the economy, looking through the eyes of the NASCAR fan, a NASCAR team crew member and legendary driver/team owner Richard Petty. The five weekday episodes of the program will expand to one hour during Daytona 500 week and originate from Daytona International Speedway. Live NASCAR racing returns to the ESPN networks for the 2009 season when ESPN2 airs flag-to-flag coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World 300 from Daytona on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 12noon.(ESPN PR)(1-28-2009)

Expanded Roles for Massaro, Reid, Welch on ESPN: Three veterans of ESPN’s motorsports team, Mike Massaro, Marty Reid and Vince Welch, will have new NASCAR responsibilities on ESPN in 2009.
Massaro, who has been a NASCAR pit reporter the past two years, will join Nicole Manske and Allen Bestwick as host of NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program. Massaro and Manske will share the primary host role on a rotating basis, while Bestwick will continue as host of the Monday roundtable discussion edition. Massaro will still work the pits for selected Nationwide Series telecasts.
Reid, who has been the lead announcer for ESPN’s coverage of the IndyCar Series the past three years, as well as a play-by-play announcer for selected Nationwide Series telecasts the past two years, will see his NASCAR appearances increase. Reid will be the play-by-play announcer for ESPN’s coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series for much of the second half of the season, after ESPN begins its 17-race coverage of the Sprint Cup Series. Dr. Jerry Punch will continue as play-by-play announcer for the Sprint Cup coverage and for the Nationwide Series in the first half of the season. Reid will be lead announcer for the Indianapolis 500 and ESPN on ABC’s four other races on the IndyCar Series.
Welch will become one of ESPN’s four primary NASCAR pit reporters for 2009 after having worked selected NASCAR races the past two years while serving as a fulltime pit reporter for ESPN’s IndyCar Series coverage. He will work all of ESPN’s Sprint Cup telecasts in the second half of the year along with multiple Nationwide Series races throughout the season. In addition, Welch will be a pit reporter for ESPN on ABC’s five-race IndyCar Series coverage, including the Indianapolis 500.
The rest of ESPN’s team of announcers, analysts and reporters for NASCAR will return in 2009. Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree will be lead analysts for the race telecasts, joining Punch and Reid in the booth, while Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Shannon Spake will again be pit reporters. Tim Brewer will continue as analyst in the ESPN Tech Center.
Bestwick will continue to host the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program from the ESPN Pit Studio, with analysis by Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. Analyst Ray Evernham will join NASCAR Countdown for selected races and will continue his role as an analyst on NASCAR Now and other ESPN studio programs. Wallace and Evernham will work selected Nationwide Series telecasts as analysts in the booth, filling in for Jarrett and Petree.
NASCAR Now returns on Monday, Feb. 2, while ESPN’s live NASCAR racing for 2009 begins with flag-to-flag coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 14, on ESPN2.(ESPN PR)(1-6-2009)

2008 News

NASCAR GM Engineer Alba Colon Featured on ESPN Newsmagazine E:60 Tuesday: ESPN's primetime newsmagazine E:60 airs Tuesday, Aug. 19, at 7:00pm/et, and will include a feature on General Motors engineer Alba Colon, considered by many as one of the most powerful women in NASCAR. Barely five feet tall, the native of Puerto Rico is a giant in NASCAR - the highest-ranked female engineer in the sport. As GM's program manager, Colon has won five consecutive Manufacturers' Championships and is a driving force behind some of NASCAR's biggest names, including Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Colon's journey from being an engineering student to powerful figure in NASCAR has not been easy. She has battled the perception that women don't belong in NASCAR's garages. In spite of these challenges, Colon has become one of the most respected figures in NASCAR, reports E:60's Lisa Salters.(8-19-2008)

Sunday, OTL to Examine Diversity in NASCAR Sunday's Outside the Lines, scheduled to air on ESPN at 9:30am/et and at 12noon/et on ESPNEWS, will look at minorities and women who work on the NASCAR circuit. This past June, former NASCAR official Mauricia Grant filed a discrimination lawsuit against the stock-car racing association. In light of Grant's lawsuit, OTL will explore the work culture inside the NASCAR community.
Excerpts from Sunday's Outside the Lines:
"It's a hostile work environment. It took a lot of emotional blows. I would have to gear up in the morning to get prepared for that." --
Mauricia Grant, NASCAR's first African-American official whose job it was to inspect cars, call penalties and supervise the pit box.
"On any given day there is some thing -- or some action or somebody -- that does something that could be perceived as insensitive." -- Max Siegel, the President of Global Operations for Dale Earnhardt, Incorporated
"There are a lot of apprehensions because you have the people -- sometimes it's the 'old schoolers,' some of the older gentleman that are in the sport -- that say women aren't supposed to work on race cars, they don't know what they're doing, they doubt you." -- Katie Muir, a 24-year-old shock specialist for the #88 car in the Nationwide series.
"I can tell you from my 20 years I didn't have that feeling, I never was harassed that way. You know no one ever touched me inappropriately or did anything out of the ordinary. I demanded respect." -- Lisa Smokstad, a tire specialist for Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series.(ESPN PR)(8-7-2008)

ESPN's Sprint Cup Coverage Launches with Big Week Leading to Allstate 400 at the Brickyard: The Sprint Cup Series returns to ESPN with a full week of NASCAR-related programming July 21-28, culminating with live, flag-to-flag coverage of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard from Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 27, at 1 p.m. ET. The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is the first of 17 Sprint Cup events on the ESPN networks to close out the 2008 NASCAR season. The first six air on ESPN, with the final 11 on ABC, including all 10 races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. ESPN's coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway includes a live telecast of Sprint Cup qualifying on Saturday, July 26, at 10 a.m., and live coverage of two practice sessions for the Sprint Cup cars on the famed 2.5-mile track, all on ESPN2. ESPN360.com, the signature broadband TV network, and ESPN MobileTV, the company's 24/7 mobile video network, also will simulcast the race, qualifying and the two practice sessions. ESPN Deportes, ESPN's domestic Spanish-language channel, will simulcast the race. Sprint Cup champions will be an integral part of ESPN's coverage team at the Brickyard, including analyst Dale Jarrett who will work with Andy Petree and Dr. Jerry Punch in the booth. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Tech Center, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake. The pre-race NASCAR Countdown show from the ESPN pit studio will feature analysis by Rusty Wallace and Ray Evernham, with host Allen Bestwick and analyst Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.(ESPN PR)(7-21-2008)

Dale Jr. - Shifting Gears Returns to ESPN with Final Two Episodes: Dale Jr. - Shifting Gears, the sports documentary chronicling NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his unprecedented move from the team founded by his father to Hendrick Motorsports, will return to ESPN for the final two episodes on Tuesday, July 22 and Friday, July 25, at 7 p.m. ET. The new episodes, each one hour in length, are the fourth and fifth installments of a five-part series and air during the week leading up to ESPN’s live coverage of the Sprint Cup Series Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, July 27, at 1 p.m. from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The July 22 debut of the new episode will feature, among other things, reaction to the emotional conclusion of the Crown Royal 400 in May at Richmond International Raceway. It will segue into the July 25 finale, which highlights the driver’s popular Father’s Day victory at Michigan International Speedway. The original airings will be simulcast on ESPN MobileTV. The first of the two new episodes re-airs Thursday, July 24, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, and again Sunday, July 27, at 2 a.m. on ESPN2. The final episode re-airs Sunday, July 27, at 3 a.m. on ESPN2.(ESPN PR)(7-17-2008)

Hinton finds a home...at ESPN: Award-winning sports journalist Ed Hinton, entering his fourth decade in the profession, has joined ESPN.com as a senior writer. Hinton will focus on motorsports to serve fans through ESPN's digital platforms. "We're thrilled to welcome Ed," said Rob King, editor-in-chief of ESPN.com. "His talent and experience makes our strong motorsports writing team of Terry Blount, Angelique Chengelis, Ryan McGee, David Newton and Marty Smith even stronger, and we very much look forward to Ed's work appearing on our platforms." Most recently Hinton was senior reporter for auto racing with the Tribune Co. newspaper chain, writing for the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Previously he was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, where he covered auto racing, the NFL, college football and Major League Baseball. Before that he worked for The National sports daily and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Hinton has won numerous professional journalism awards, some transcending sports, including the Scripps-Howard Foundation First Amendment Award in 2001. Twice, he has led reporting teams nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, and he has also won several awards in the Associated Press Sports Editors' largest-circulation newspaper categories, and recognition from United Press International, Sigma Delta Chi professional journalism society and the National Motorsports Press Association. He is the author of two books. Born in Laurel, Miss., Hinton attended the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a B.S. degree in journalism.(ESPN PR)(7-3-2008)

ESPNs Outside the Lines Examines Economys Impact on NASCAR: Sundays Outside the Lines (ESPN 9:30am/et; ESPNEWS 12noon/et) will examine how NASCAR is being affected by todays struggling economy. Transporting equipment and personnel cross country has never been costlier due to escalating fuel prices, which have also impacted fans traveling to races. The economy has made sponsors more vital, yet hard to secure, prompting long-time team owners to seek outside investors: Boston Red Sox owner John Henry became co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing (2006); Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillette became primary owner of Gillette Evernham Motorsports (2007); Boston Ventures, an equity firm, took control of Petty Enterprises (May 2008). Mike Massaro reports.
From Sundays Outside the Lines: "We could see six or so teams shut down if they are not funded. Nobody is going to run this out of their own pocket for too long, myself included, so it is a serious situation". -- Doug Yates, owner of Yates Racing
"Before, let's say five years ago, a top echelon team, you were looking at $10-15 million. All of a sudden, now, I'm told, because of driver salaries and all the other factors that affected the cost of going racing, that top tier team now is $24-30 million" -- Larry Camp, motor sports marketing expert
"I know this is a sports story, but this is not a sport anymore, except on Sunday afternoon from about 1-to-5 in the afternoon. It's a business six days a week". Kyle Petty, driver for Petty Enterprises and son of NASCAR legend Richard Petty
"We are committed to getting through this year, but I got to be able to see into 09 something a little more positive than I see today. I think well make it, but the economy and the struggles the other teams are seeing are the same as ours. It is a tough, tough world out there right now in NASCAR". Doug Yates.(ESPN PR)(6-27-2008)

Steve Letarte Joins ESPN NASCAR Team at New Hampshire: Steve Letarte, crew chief of the #24 DuPont Chevrolet driven by Jeff Gordon in the Sprint Cup Series, will join ESPN's NASCAR team for coverage of Saturday's Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Letarte will report from the ESPN
Tech Center as a fill-in for ESPN analyst Tim Brewer, who has the weekend off. Letarte, a native of Maine, has been Gordon's crew chief since September, 2005, and has been with Hendrick Motorsports for 14 years. During the race, he will work with the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car and the other parts, pieces and visuals in the Tech Center to illustrate and
explain technical aspects of the event. The telecast airs at 2:30pm/et on ABC and in high definition on ABC HD.(6-25-2008)

Logano on ESPN Networks Wednesday: Only a few days before his much-anticipated debut in the Nationwide Series, driver Joey Logano will appear on multiple ESPN platforms Wednesday as he visits the ESPN campus in Bristol, Conn. ESPN2 has live coverage of Saturday's race from Dover, Del., starting at 2:30pm/et. Logano, who will drive a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in Saturday's event at Dover International Speedway, won the NASCAR East championship last year at the age of 17 and has had to wait until he turned 18 before he could race in one of NASCAR's top three series. His birthday was this past weekend.
Logano appears on ESPN First Take on ESPN2 at 11:30am/et, and then conducts a one-hour live chat on ESPN.com at 1:30pm/et. He is interviewed on ESPNEWS during the 3pm/et hour. NASCAR Now, ESPN2's daily NASCAR news and information program, airs at 6:30pm/et and will include an interview with Loga#The program re-airs at 12:30am/et Thursday. Logano closes his day with a live interview on ESPN Radio at 6:30pm/et.(ESPN PR)(5-28-2008)

ESPN on ABC Talladega TV Ratings Score Big Jump from 2007: ESPN on ABC's live telecast of Saturday's Aarons 312 Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway scored big increases in ratings and household impressions over last year's race, continuing an upward trend to series TV numbers in 2008. The race earned a 2.6 rating and 2,962,000 household impressions, increases of 28 and 29%, respectively, over the same categories for last year's ABC telecast (2.1; 2,291,000). The event also earned the largest numbers for a Nationwide Series race on the ESPN networks since live NASCAR racing returned to ESPN in 2007, eclipsing the previous high of 2.4/2,699,000 for the March, 2007, event from Las Vegas that aired on ABC. The Talladega telecast also earned large increases across the board in important demographic categories, increasing 67% in Males 18-34, 50% in males 55 and older and 44% in persons 55 and older. Cable ratings for the series have also increased in 2008. The average rating for the five Nationwide Series events that have aired on ESPN2 is 1.9, a 10% increase over the 1.7 from this point last season. ESPN2 numbers do not include the rain-delayed event from California Speedway in February that was run on a Monday. ESPN's multi-platform approach to NASCAR coverage is also showing increases in areas other than television. ESPN.com's motorsports section has grown 32% in visits during 2008, and ESPN's Fantasy Racing was up 43% in visits and 15% in page views during the Talladega weekend as compared to the same weekend last year. ESPN-owned Jayski.com was up 16% in visits during Talladega weekend.(ESPN PR)(5-1-2008)

ESPN Wins Seven Sports Emmy Awards AND Fox: ESPN won seven Sports Emmy Awards, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences last night in New York, including ESPN.com taking all three of the “New Approaches” categories for online and broadband entries. “The Sports Emmys we received reflect the rich diversity of offerings across ESPN and our ability to not only cover and report on sports, but to inform, entertain and inspire, both on television and online,” said George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN and ABC Sports. ESPN.com was honored for “Ray of Hope” (Long Form), Fantasy Football Now (Coverage) and “Death Race 2007” (General Interest). NASCAR returned to ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 last year, and the three networks shared the Emmy for Technical Team Remote. ESPN won 17 Sports Emmys for its NASCAR coverage in the 1990s. Also, College GameDay was cited in the Studio Show Weekly category, Sunday NFL Countdown’s “Fear” took top honors among Short Features and Ali’s 65 won in Editing. ESPN has now won 14 Sports Emmys in the Feature category, including seven in the last six years. Overall, ABC has now won 160 Sports Emmy Awards since they were first given in 1980, while ESPN has won 123 in 21 years of eligibility.(ESPN)(4-29-2008)AND FOX Sports led all broadcast networks with five Sports Emmy Awards, including two major honors for outstanding sports series and sports special. The winners were announced last night [4/28] during the 29th Annual Sports Emmy Awards by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at ceremonies held in New York. NASCAR on FOX won two statuettes, one for Outstanding Live Sports Series and one for Outstanding Technical Team Remote. In its seven seasons of coverage, NASCAR on FOX has been recognized for Outstanding Sports Series three times and this year’s recognition brings the series Emmy total to 12. Since its inception in 1994, FOX Sports’ has won 76 Emmy Awards.(Fox PR)(4-30-2008)

NASCAR Now Schedule Includes Monday Roundtable Discussion: NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information show, will have six episodes this week. The program features news, highlights, opinion, debate and analysis from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both on and off the track. On Monday, March 17, host Allen Bestwick leads a discussion of the Bristol Motor Speedway weekend and other NASCAR news in a one-hour episode airing at 5:30pm/et. Half-hour episodes air Tuesday and Wednesday of this week at 6:00pm/et, and at midnight/et Friday and Saturday. A one-hour edition airs Sunday, March 16, at 10am/et with the latest news from Bristol.(ESPN PR)(3-10-2008)

Evernham Joins ESPN’s NASCAR Team as Analyst: Ray Evernham, a successful team owner in NASCAR racing and a three-time Sprint Cup champion crew chief, has joined ESPN’s NASCAR coverage team as an analyst. Evernham, who makes his debut this week from Daytona International Speedway, will appear on NASCAR Now, ESPN’s daily NASCAR news and information show, as part of a rotating panel of ESPN analysts for a weekly roundtable discussion in an expanded one-hour Monday edition of the program. The roundtable, hosted by ESPN’s Allen Bestwick, will discuss the latest NASCAR news and events. Evernham, owner of Gillett Evernham Motorsports, also will make appearances via satellite on other editions of NASCAR Now. NASCAR Now airs weeknights at 6pm/et on ESPN2. In addition to his duties with NASCAR Now, Evernham will work as an analyst in ESPN’s booth for live telecasts of Nationwide Series races from Mexico City and Loudon, N.H. Evernham also will join ESPN’s pre-race NASCAR Countdown show for some races in 2008, including prior to the Feb. 16 Nationwide Series opening event from Daytona, and will appear from Daytona on NASCAR Now, SportsCenter and ESPNEWS. “We are thrilled to further elevate our NASCAR telecasts with the addition of another former champion in Ray Evernham,” said Rich Feinberg, vice president, motorsports, ESPN production. “Our team already has a very deep bench and this only strengthens it.” Evernham appeared on several Nationwide Series telecasts in 2007 as a guest analyst on the pre-race program and also was featured in Race Wizard with Ray Evernham, a program that aired on ESPN2 in 2007. He previously appeared as an analyst on ESPN and ABC’s coverage of the IROC Series in 2000. "ESPN is the leader in sports worldwide,” said Evernham. “Their expertise and credibility with the men and women around the world reinforces this position, and I am excited that NASCAR is such an integral part of their programming. I look forward to joining their team and sharing my knowledge and experience of the sport with the fans."(ESPN PR)(2-13-2008)

Shifting Gears on ESPN Goes Behind Scenes with Dale Earnhardt Jr.: #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the focus of a new television series on ESPN, Dale Jr. – Shifting Gears, premiering prior to next month’s opening of the 2008 NASCAR season. The five-part series chronicles Earnhardt’s move from Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by his father, to Hendrick Motorsports, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The first episode airs Friday, Feb. 8, at 7:00pm/et on ESPN2. The series provides viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at the personal, corporate and competitive ramifications involved with the five-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver award recipient changing teams. Dale Jr. – Shifting Gears is produced by Earnhardt Jr.’s Hammerhead Entertainment, a division of JR Motorsports, in cooperation with Hendrick Motorsports and is presented by the National Guard. The new program is part of an exclusive, multimedia agreement between ESPN and Hammerhead Entertainment. “We were working on a new DVD about my life and the guys kept getting more and more footage, so they decided to put a whole TV show together to document the biggest career decision I’ve ever made,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “The past year of my life has been a roller coaster, and it’s pretty cool that we’re giving everyone an inside look at how everything came together.” Three of the five episodes of Shifting Gears air on ESPN2 in the nine days prior to the Daytona 500, including following ESPN2’s live coverage of Nationwide Series qualifying on Friday, Feb. 15, and the Nationwide Series Camping World 300 at Daytona on Saturday, Feb. 16. The final two episodes air on ESPN in prime time the week of the July 27 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, ESPN’s first live Sprint Cup event of the season. The pre-season episodes reveal never-before-seen footage from the 2007 press conferences and fan response to the announcements. Shifting Gears also chronicles the design process of the new paint schemes, the makings of Earnhardt Jr.’s Adidas fire suit and how the driver of the #88 Mountain Dew AMP/National Guard Chevrolet handles the pressure of working with new sponsors as he prepares for his first season with Hendrick Motorsports. The final two episodes, each one hour in length, will catch up with Earnhardt Jr. and the Hendrick team as he chases his first Sprint Cup championship. Previews and additional video from the show will be made available on ESPN.com Video and DaleJr.com starting next week and the full episodes will be made available shortly after they air on ESPN2 on ESPN MobileTV and ESPN.com Video.The air schedule (all times Eastern):
Friday, Feb. 8 7-8 p.m. ESPN2
Friday, Feb. 15 6:30-8 p.m. ESPN2
Saturday, Feb. 16 4:30-6 p.m. ESPN2
Thursday, July 24 7-8 p.m. ESPN
Friday, July 25 7-8 p.m. ESPN.(ESPN PR)

Jarrett and Rusty Headline ESPN’s Season-Long NASCAR Coverage: Dale Jarrett will expand his role with ESPN and join high school friends Dr. Jerry Punch and Andy Petree in the booth for ESPN’s full season of NASCAR coverage in 2008. Rusty Wallace will become lead analyst for ESPN studio programs in 2008, highlighted by serving as analyst for an enhanced NASCAR Countdown, the program that precedes all NASCAR telecasts. Wallace also will appear across multiple ESPN platforms, including regularly on NASCAR Now, ESPN’s daily NASCAR news and information show, and will call several race telecasts in place of Jarrett. Allen Bestwick moves into the fulltime role of host of ESPN’s race telecasts and host of NASCAR Countdown. Wallace and Bestwick will appear with analyst Brad Daugherty on the pre-race program, and the three will be integrated with the booth team during race telecasts. ESPN also has named motorsports television veteran Nicole Manske as host of NASCAR Now, which returns to the air for its second season Feb. 4 on ESPN2. Manske, who joins ESPN after two years as co-host of a weekly motorsports news program on the SPEED Channel, will share the NASCAR Now host role with Bestwick and ESPNEWS anchor Ryan Burr. On ESPN’s event coverage, Shannon Spake, a reporter for ESPN’s studio programs and fill-in pit reporter last year, will take Bestwick’s position as a fulltime pit reporter, joined by returnees Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Two-time NASCAR Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer returns to report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. “We now have the opportunity to provide our viewers with analysis from a pair of former NASCAR Cup champions with Dale Jarrett in the booth and Rusty Wallace on the NASCAR Countdown set as well as on other platforms,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, studio and event production. “We were pleased to have Dale with us in a limited role last year and look forward to his participation on a regular basis,” Williamson said. “Rusty’s enthusiasm, team spirit and knowledge make him an invaluable contributor to our coverage. These champion drivers in their new roles add tremendously to ESPN’s championship team for our second year back in NASCAR.” ESPN’s 2008 NASCAR season begins with live, flag-to-flag coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 16, at noon ET on ESPN2. In addition to coverage of all 35 races in the Nationwide Series, ESPN also will have telecasts of the final 17 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Jarrett, who is retiring from driving after the first five races of the 2008 Sprint Cup season, was booth analyst for 10 Nationwide Series ESPN race telecasts last year and worked several Sprint Cup races as a guest analyst on NASCAR Countdown. Punch, ESPN’s lead announcer, Petree, booth analyst and a two-time NASCAR Cup champion crew chief, and Jarrett are all natives of Newton, N.C., and attended Newton-Conover High School within a few years of each other in the early 1970s. The three were partners in one of Jarrett’s first race cars in 1979. “It was exciting to see ESPN return to NASCAR last year and be a part of it when my racing schedule allowed,” said Jarrett, winner of 32 NASCAR Cup Series races and 11 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. “To have this opportunity to shift from fulltime driver to fulltime analyst for ESPN’s second year back is a great privilege and I can’t wait to get started.” Jarrett followed the footsteps of his father, Ned, a two-time NASCAR champion, into driving and television. Ned Jarrett was a popular analyst on ESPN’s coverage of NASCAR from 1988-2000 and returned to the booth as a guest analyst for one race last year to work alongside his son for the first time. Wallace joined ESPN after retiring from driving following the 2005 season and spent 2006 as analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the IndyCar Series in preparation for ESPN’s return to NASCAR in 2007. Bestwick served multiple roles for ESPN’s NASCAR coverage last year, including pit reporter, host of NASCAR Countdown for Nationwide Series races and play-by-play announcer for several events. Along with returning NASCAR Insiders Angelique Chengelis and Marty Smith, ESPN.com reporters Terry Blount and David Newton and analysts Boris Said, Tim Cowlishaw and D.J. Copp, many members of ESPN’s event coverage team also will contribute to NASCAR Now in 2008.(ESPN PR)(1-23-2008)

2007 News

Rusty Wallace rumors untrue: there were some rumors floating around on Wednesday that ESPN/ABC would replace Rusty Wallace as it's analyst of the Busch and Nextel Cup Series races [to be Nationwide and Sprint Cup in 2008] for the 2008 season. All ESPN and Wallace sources have told me this is NOT TRUE and Wallace will return in 2008. From ESPN: "Rusty Wallace is our guy. We have a long-term contract with him. He's the voice of NASCAR on ESPN." NORBY WILLIAMSON - ESPN Executive Vice President, Studio and Remote Production.(10-17-2007)

NASCAR This Week on ESPN and ABC: The Chase for the Nextel Cup continues with Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of the Kansas event and all 10 races in the Chase. The Kansas telecast begins at 1:00pm/et with NASCAR Countdown. Brent Musburger will be the Kansas telecast host, while Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the race, joined in the booth for analysis by Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown along with analyst Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio. ESPN2 will have live coverage of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup qualifying from Kansas on Friday, Sept. 28, at 4:00pm/et. The next day, live coverage of Nextel Cup practice airs at 10:00am/et, with another session [Happy Hour] airing on tape-delay at 6:30pm/et.
On Saturday afternoon, ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the Busch Series with live racing from Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. The telecast of the 300-mile race is presented by Principal Financial Group and begins at 3:00pm/et with NASCAR Countdown. Dr. Jerry Punch will anchor ESPN2’s coverage from Kansas, with analysis by Andy Petree and Brad Daugherty. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake, while Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown.NASCAR NowSchedule: NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR will air at 6:00pm/et in its normal 30-minute format Tuesday through Thursday of this week on ESPN2, with Friday’s show at 7:00pm/et. The one-hour weekend edition airs Sunday, Sept. 30, at 10:00am/et with a preview of Sunday’s Nextel Cup race at Kansas Speedway as well as a recap of the previous day’s Busch Series event at the same track. The weekend wrap-up edition airs Monday, Oct. 1, at 12:00midnight/et.(ESPN PR)(9-25-2007)

NASCAR this week on ESPN and ABC: The Chase for the Nextel continues with Sunday’s Dodge Dealers 400 race at Dover International Speedway. The Dover telecast begins at 1:00pm/et with NASCAR Countdown. Brent Musburger will be the Dover telecast host, while Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the race, joined in the booth for analysis by Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown along with analyst Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio. ESPN2 will have live coverage of Nextel Cup qualifying from Dover on Friday, Sept. 21, at 3:00pm/et. A one-hour program covering [the first, not Happy Hour] practice session for the race airs at 11:00am/et Saturday.
On Saturday afternoon, ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the Busch Series with live racing from Dover International Speedway. The telecast of the 200-mile race begins at 3:00pm/et with NASCAR Countdown.
NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR airs at 6pm/et in its normal 30-minute format Tuesday through Friday of this week on ESPN2. The one-hour weekend edition airs Sunday at 10:00am/et with a preview of Sunday’s Nextel Cup race at Dover as well as a recap of the previous day’s Busch Series event at the same track. The weekend wrap-up edition airs Monday, Sept. 17, at 12:30am/et.
Kurt Busch is featured in a This Is SportsCenter promotional spot that began airing Monday on ESPN. In the spot, SportsCenter anchor John Anderson tries to buy a good sponsor location on Busch’s car in the parking lot of ESPN’s campus in Bristol, Conn.(ESPN PR)(9-18-2007)

NASCAR This Week on ESPN and ABC: The Chase for the Nextel Cup championship begins with Sunday’s 300-lap race at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N.H. ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of the New Hampshire event and all 10 races in the Chase. The New Hampshire telecast begins at 1pm/et with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program. #29-Kevin Harvick is scheduled to be ESPN on ABC's In-Race Reporter on Sunday for the first race in the Chase.
Brent Musburger will be the New Hampshire telecast host, while Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the race telecast, joined in the booth for analysis by Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center.
Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown along with analyst Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio. ESPN2 will have live coverage of Nextel Cup qualifying from NHIS on Friday, Sept. 14, at 3:00pm. A one-hour program covering final practice [same day coverage, not live] for the race will air at 7pm Saturday.NASCAR Now Schedule NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR, will air at 6pm in its normal 30-minute format Tuesday through Friday of this week on ESPN2. The one-hour weekend edition will air Sunday at 10 a.m. with a preview of Sunday’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway. The weekend wrap-up edition will air Monday, Sept. 17, at 12:30am. The one-hour Monday edition of NASCAR Now will air at 5:30pm.Scheduled NASCAR Now Guests: Thursday, Sept 13th = Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch.ESPNEWS #29-Kevin Harvick and #07-Clint Bowyer are scheduled to appear on today's HOT LIST on ESPNEWS, 3:00pm/et.
(ESPN PR)

NASCAR This Week on ESPN and ABC: After an absence of more than seven years, Nextel Cup racing will return to the ABC Television Network Saturday night with ESPN on ABC’s live, prime time telecast of the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 from Richmond International Raceway. The telecast begins at 7pm/et with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program. ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of the final 11 races of the 2007 season, including all 10 races in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. The last time a Nextel Cup race aired on ABC was the Brickyard 400 from Indianapolis Aug. 5, 2000. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the Richmond race, joined in the booth for expert analysis by Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown along with analyst Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio. On Friday night, ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series with live, prime-time racing from Richmond International Raceway. The telecast of the 250-lap race begins at 7:30pm/et with NASCAR Countdown. A simulcast of the race can be seen on ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s domestic Spanish-language network. In addition, the race can be seen live on ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature broadband service. ESPN2 will have six hours of NASCAR qualifying and practice coverage Friday from Richmond International Raceway, including live coverage of qualifying for both the Nextel Cup and Busch Series races. Nextel Cup qualifying will air at 6:00pm/et Friday, leading up to that night’s Busch Series race. Busch Series qualifying will air at 4:00pm/et. ESPN2 will be on the air early Friday with Busch Series practice from 10-11am and Nextel Cup practice from 11am until noon.NASCAR in Primetime - Five-Part Series Continues Wednesday on ABC: The ABC News five-part series NASCAR in Primetime continues Wednesday, Sept. 5, at 10:00pm/et on ABC. The series takes a behind-the-scenes look at the preparation, logistics, drama and competition of NASCAR.NASCAR NowSchedule: NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR, will air at 6:00pm/et in its normal 30-minute format Tuesday through Thursday of this week, and Friday at 5:30pm/et on ESPN2. The one-hour weekend edition will air Saturday at 10:00am/et, with extensive highlights of Friday night’s Busch Series race at Richmond and a preview of Saturday night’s Nextel Cup race at the same track. The weekend wrap-up edition will air Sunday at 12:30am/et.(ESPN PR)(9-4-2007)

NASCAR This Week on ESPN and ABC: The fast and competitive California Speedway near Los Angeles will host the Nextel Cup race presented by Principle Financial on Sunday, Sept. 2, for 500 miles of prime-time racing. ESPN will have live coverage from the 2-mile Fontana, Calif., oval beginning at 7:00pm/et with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the California race, joined in the booth for expert analysis by Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Brent Musburger will host NASCAR Countdown, joined by analyst Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio. A simulcast of the race can be seen on ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s domestic Spanish-language network. In addition, the race can be seen live on ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature broadband service.
On Saturday night, ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the Busch Series with live, prime-time racing from California Speedway. The telecast of the CampingWorld 300 presented by RVs.com begins at 9:45pm/et with NASCAR Countdown. Dr. Jerry Punch will anchor ESPN2’s coverage from California, with analysis by Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake, while Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown, joined by analyst Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio.
The ABC News five-part series NASCAR in Primetime continues Wednesday, Aug.. 29, at 9:00pm/et on ABC. The series takes a behind-the-scenes look at the preparation, logistics, drama and competition of NASCAR.
NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR, will have its expanded one-hour program Monday at 5:30pm/et. The program will contain highlights of Saturday night’s Nextel Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway as well as the latest NASCAR news and information. The program will air at 6:00pm/et in its normal 30-minute format Tuesday through Thursday of this week, and Friday at 5:00pm/et on ESPN2. The one-hour weekend edition will air Sunday at 10:00am/et, with extensive highlights of Saturday night’s Busch Series race at California Speedway and a preview of Sunday night’s Nextel Cup race at the same track. The weekend wrap-up edition will air Monday at 1:00am/et.(ESPN PR)(8-27-2007)

MIS TV Coverage on ESPN2: ESPN2 To Have Live Coverage of Tuesday Morning Nextel Cup Race at Michigan. The Nextel Cup Series will be in action Tuesday morning and ESPN2 will have live coverage of the rain-delayed event from Michigan International Speedway beginning at 10:00am/et. The 400-mile race was postponed due to inclement weather on its original Sunday date and was rained out again Monday at the 2-mile oval in Brooklyn, Mich. Dr. Jerry Punch will anchor ESPN2’s NASCAR coverage from Michigan, joined in the booth by Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree for analysis. Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro will report from the pits.RE-AIR: the race will also re-air on ESPN Classic at 8:00pm/et, Tueday, August 21.(ESPN PR)(8-20-2007)

NASCAR This Week on ESPN and ABC: The Nextel Cup Series visits the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway this weekend for Sunday’s 400-mile race. ESPN will have live coverage from the Brooklyn, Mich., oval beginning at 1:00pm/et with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the Michigan race, joined in the booth for expert analysis by Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Five of Wallace’s 55 career wins as a driver came at MIS. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. ESPN’s Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown at MIS, joined by analyst Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio.
ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the Busch Series on Saturday with live coverage of the Carfax 250 at Michigan International Speedway. The telecast begins at 3:00pm/et with NASCAR Countdown.
The new ABC News five-part series NASCAR in Primetime premieres Wednesday, Aug. 15, at 10:00pm/et. The series takes a behind-the-scenes look at the preparation, logistics, drama and competition of NASCAR. For the first time, NASCAR has given uncensored access to the lives of some of its top drivers, including Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya and Mark Martin. Millions see the NASCAR world every weekend, but with cameras rolling for five months ABC News documented what really goes on and what the drivers are really made of. The unscripted ABC News documentary series chronicles NASCAR and a range of its competitors on and off the track to explain the sport's growth, multi-dimensional appeal, and cultural phenomenon.
NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR, will have its expanded one-hour program Monday at 5:30pm/et. The program will contain highlights of Sunday’s Nextel Cup race at Watkins Glen, as well as the latest NASCAR news and information. Tuesday through Thursday, NASCAR Now will air at 6:00pm/et in its normal 30-minute format. The one-hour weekend edition will air at 10:00am/et Sunday, with extensive highlights of Saturday’s Busch Series race at Michigan International Speedway and a preview of Sunday’s Nextel Cup race at the same track. The weekend wrap-up edition will air at 1:00am/et Monday.(ESPN PR)(8-13-2007)

More on Draft Track: The University of Washington says its computer scientists have developed software to illustrate the drafting effect of NASCAR race cars. The university says the technology was used by the Sportvision company of Chicago and ESPN to create "Draft Track." It uses fluid dynamics math algorithms to create real-time displays of colors trailing behind cars. Green, blue, yellow and red correspond to different speeds and directions for air flow. It shows viewers how drivers can use drafting to save gas or pick up speed.(AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer)(8-10-2007)

NASCAR This Week on ESPN: The Nextel Cup Series will hit the road this weekend at famous Watkins Glen International for Sunday's race on the famed Upstate New York road racing circuit. ESPN will have live coverage beginning at 1:00pm/et with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the Watkins Glen race, joined in the booth for analysis by Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. ESPN's Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown at Watkins Glen, joined by analyst Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio.
ESPN's coverage from Watkins Glen will include live Nextel Cup qualifying at 3:00pm/et Friday, Aug. 3, and Happy Hour final practice at 2:00pm/et Saturday, both on ESPN2.
One week after running on a road course in Montreal, the Busch Series will run its second road course race of the year Saturday at Watkins Glen International. ESPN2 will have live coverage of the race beginning at 3:00pm/et ET with NASCAR Countdown. In addition to coverage of the race, ESPN2 will televise Busch Series practice from Watkins Glen at 5:30pm/et Friday, and qualifying at 11:30am/et Saturday.
Tuesday through Thursday, NASCAR Now will air at its new time of 6:00pm/et in its normal 30-minute format. Friday's program will air at 6:30pm/et following Busch Series practice at Watkins Glen. The one-hour weekend edition will air at 10:00am/et Sunday. The weekend wrap-up edition will air at midnight Sunday.(ESPN PR)(8-7-2007)

NASCAR This Week on ESPN and ABC: The Nextel Cup Series moves this weekend to Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania for Sunday’s 500-mile race and ESPN will have live coverage beginning at 1pm/et with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the Pocono race, joined in the booth for expert analysis by Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. ESPN’s Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown at Pocono, joined by analyst Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio. ESPN’s coverage from Pocono will include live NASCAR NEXTEL Cup qualifying at 3:30pm/et Friday, Aug. 3, and Happy Hour final practice at 11am/et Saturday. The Busch Series to make Historic First Visit to Montreal Live on ESPN2 with live coverage of the race at world-famous Circuit Gilles Villenueve in Montreal beginning at 3pm/etT with NASCAR Countdown. In addition to coverage of the race, ESPN2 will televise Busch Series practice from Montreal at 2pm/et Friday, and qualifying at 12noon/et Saturday.(ESPN PR)(7-31-2007)

ESPN Draft Track Technology Will Allow NASCAR Fans to 'See the Air': For years, NASCAR fans have heard about the effects of drafting on high-speed racetracks and how certain drivers, such as the late Dale Earnhardt, were so good in the draft it was said they could "see the air." Now, as Nextel Cup racing returns to ESPN with Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, a technical innovation developed by ESPN and SportVision will allow fans to see the air when they watch ESPN's coverage of the Nextel Cup and Busch Series. Beginning with Sunday's telecast of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, ESPN will enhance its NASCAR coverage with Draft Track, a special effects package that will provide to viewers a never-before-seen effect that shows airflow created by NASCAR race cars. When ESPN's producers activate Draft Track, viewers will see air flowing over and behind race cars as they speed around the track, whether there is one car or a multi-car pack on the television screen. The Draft Track airflow visualization will change as the cars, in relation each other, change position in real time on the racetrack, including passing, racing side by side or when cars are lined up nose to tail. The new effect will initially be used on replays.
(ESPN PR), see a demo of the technology on the ESPN site.(7-25-2007)

ESPN Networks To Have 66 hours of NASCAR Programming This Week:
As Nextel Cup racing returns to ESPN this weekend with coverage of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, ESPN networks will have 66 hours of programming this week to commemorate the first Cup race coverage on ESPN since 2000.
Highlighting NASCAR programming this week will be two live NASCAR races, the Nextel Cup event from IMS on ESPN and the Busch Series race from O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis on ESPN2, as well as practice and qualifying coverage from both on ESPN2. In addition, ESPN's daily news and information show, NASCAR Now, will expand to an hour for three days this week and will air Monday through Thursday on both ESPN and ESPN2.
ESPN will air a series of new NASCAR historical documentaries in prime time every night this week. The ESPN Ultimate NASCAR series will be repeated on ESPN Classic, along with replays of the award-winning SportsCentury series featuring profiles of Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.Nextel Cup Returns to ESPN with Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a fitting location for the return of the Nextel Cup Series to ESPN with the running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, July 29. Race coverage will begin at 1 p.m. ET with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program.Busch Series Live in Prime Time on ESPN2 from Indianapolis ESPN2 will feature Busch Series racing live in prime time Saturday, July 28, from O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis as the series makes its only appearance of 2007 at the .686-mile oval. The telecast of the NASCAR Busch Series at ORP at Indianapolis presented by Hormel Compleats begins with NASCAR Countdown at 7:30 p.m. ET; the race starts at 8 p.m.NASCAR Now Expands Schedule for Brickyard Week NASCAR Now, ESPN's daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR, will have an expanded schedule this week. NASCAR Now will air on both ESPN and ESPN2 Monday through Thursday of this week, and the program will expand to an hour Wednesday through Friday.New Episodes of ESPN2 Garage Programs New episodes of the ESPN2 Garage programs SpeedFreaks, Race Wizard with Ray Evernham and King of the Strip will premiere this week. SpeedFreaks will air at 5 p.m. ET Thursday, July 26, while Race Wizard is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Saturday, July 28. King of the Strip will air at 2 p.m. Saturday. Also scheduled to air this week are episodes of the ESPN2 Garage programs Hot Rod Television and The Bidding Wars. .(ESPN PR)(7-23-2007)

Ultimate NASCAR Week on ESPN Documentries, all debuting the week of July 23, 2007, narrated by actor J.K. Simmons who played Ralph Earnhardt in the ESPN movie, 3 [about Dale Earnhardt]
1) The Explosion (2 hours) - This show will focus on the overall appeal of NASCAR and track its growth from a regional sport to national phenomenon over the last generation. Airs: 8:00pm/et Monday, July 23
2) The Dirt (1 hour) - This program will explore NASCAR's roots, tracing the history of a sport that was born in 100 different towns in 100 different corners of America. Airs: 9:00pm/et Tuesday, July 24
3) The Cars (1 hour) - The basic appeal of the race car and the relationship between man, fan and car will be examined. Airs: 9:00pm/et Wednesday, July 25
4) Speed and Danger (1 hour) - This show is about pushing the edge and exploring the rush and thrill of NASCAR for the drivers as well as the fans. Airs: 9:00pm/et Thursday, July 26
5) The Families (2 hours) - Four major NASCAR family dynasties - the Frances, the Pettys, The Allisons and the Earnhardts - will be featured; covers the early days to the present. Airs: 8:00pm/et Friday, July 27.
DVDs (on sale nationwide, Tuesday, July 31) Ultimate NASCAR, Volumes 1-4 Vol. 1 - The Explosion; Vol. 2 - The Dirt; The Cars; Speed and Danger; Vol. 3 - Greatest Drivers; Hottest Rivalries; Biggest Races; Vol. 4 - 100 Defining Moments.(7-21-2007)

ESPN's 17 Multimedia Platforms Deliver Unprecedented Nextel Cup Coverage: ESPN will provide extensive multimedia coverage of the final 17 races of the Nextel Cup Series season, beginning with the July 29 running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The telecast, which begins at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, July 29, will be in high definition on ESPN. Dr. Jerry Punch will call the race with analysts Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree and pit reporters Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Brent Musburger will host the telecast, and Suzy Kolber will host the pre-race NASCAR Countdown show with analyst Brad Daugherty. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center.
Of the 17 races, the first six will be televised on ESPN, with the final 11 televised by ESPN on ABC. All races in the Chase for the Nextel Cup will be on ABC, marking the first time since NASCAR instituted the Chase format that all 10 races will be on the same network. Practice and qualifying from 13 of the races will be televised on ESPN2.
Nextel Cup coverage will be available on 17 ESPN platforms, including ABC, ABC HD, ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN2, ESPN2 HD, ESPN.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPNDeportes.com, ESPN International, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile Properties and ESPN The Magazine.(ESPN PR)(7-20-2007)

NASCAR This Week on ESPN: ESPN2 will feature Busch Series racing live Saturday, July 21, from Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis as the series makes its only appearance of 2007 at the 1.25-mile superspeedway. The telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown at 8 p.m. ET; the race starts at 8:30 p.m. Rusty Wallace will work in the booth as analyst for the telecast, joined by Andy Petree. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake. Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN Pit Studio, joined by Wallace and analyst Brad Daugherty, while Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car.
ESPN2 will also have live coverage of qualifying Saturday from Gateway International Raceway, as well as Friday night's practice session as drivers and teams prepare for Saturday night's race. Practice coverage will air at 7 p.m. ET Friday, with the live qualifying show at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
ESPN Ultimate NASCAR, which is building up to the July 29 launch of Nextel Cup racing on ESPN with 11 hours of programming on NASCAR history, continues at 9 p.m. ET Thursday, July 19, on ESPN with Biggest Races, a one-hour program counting down the 20 greatest races in NASCAR history. The program is the third of three countdown programs, following Greatest Drivers, which premiered July 5, and Greatest Rivalries, which aired last week. Starting Monday, July 23, the week leading into the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will include seven hours of NASCAR documentaries - The Explosion, The Dirt, The Cars, Speed and Danger and The Families. All shows will debut on ESPN.
NASCAR Now will air on ESPN2 for 30 minutes in its regular 6:30 p.m. ET time slot Tuesday through Friday of this week. On Friday, the program will lead up to NASCAR Busch Series practice from Gateway International Raceway.
New episodes of the ESPN2 Garage programs SpeedFreaks, Race Wizard with Ray Evernham and King of the Strip will premiere this week. SpeedFreaks will air at 5 p.m. ET Thursday, July 19, while Race Wizard is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 21. King of the Strip will air at both 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sunday, July 22.(ESPN PR)(7-16-2007)

NASCAR This Week on ESPN and ABC: ESPN on ABC will feature Busch Series racing live Saturday, July 14, from Chicagoland Speedway as the series makes its only appearance of 2007 at the 1.5-mile superspeedway. The telecast of Busch Series at Chicago presented by Old Spice begins with NASCAR Countdown at 2:30pm/et; the race starts at 3pm/et. Rusty Wallace will work in the ESPN booth as analyst for the telecast, joined by Andy Petree. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN Pit Studio, joined by Wallace and analyst Brad Daugherty, while Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car. ESPN2 will have live coverage of qualifying from Chicago at 11:00am/et Saturday, as well as the series’ final practice session on Friday at 5:45pm/et.
ESPN Ultimate NASCAR, which is building up to the July 29 launch of Nextel Cup racing on ESPN with 11 hours of programming on NASCAR history, continues at 9:00pm/et Thursday, July 12, on ESPN with Hottest Rivalries, a one-hour program counting down the 20 greatest rivalries in NASCAR history, chosen by an exclusive panel of NASCAR experts and historians. The program is the second of three countdown programs, following Greatest Drivers, which premiered last week. The third program in the series, Biggest Races, will air Thursday, July 19. Starting Monday, July 23, the week leading into the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will include seven hours of NASCAR documentaries – The Explosion, The Dirt, The Cars, Speed and Danger and The Families. All shows will debut on ESPN.
NASCAR Now, ESPN’s daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR will air on ESPN2 for 30 minutes in its regular 6:30pm/et time slot Tuesday through Thursday of this week. On Friday, the program will begin at 5:30pm/et and will lead up to and follow Busch Series practice from Chicago. The one-hour weekend edition will air at 10:00am/et Sunday, July 15, with highlights from Saturday’s Busch Series race at Chicago and a look ahead to that day’s Nextel Cup Series race at the same track. The weekend wrap-up edition of the program will air at midnight Sunday.
New episodes of the ESPN2 Garage programs SpeedFreaks, Race Wizard with Ray Evernham and King of the Strip will premiere this week. SpeedFreaks will air at 5:00pm/et Thursday, July 12, while Race Wizard is scheduled for 10:30am/et Saturday, July 14. King of the Strip will air at 11:30am/et Sunday, July 15.(ESPN PR)(7-10-2007)

NASCAR This Week on ESPN and ABC: ESPN on ABC will feature NASCAR Busch Series racing live Saturday, June 30, from New Hampshire International Speedway as the series makes its only appearance of 2007 at the 1.058-mile New England oval for the Camping World 200 presented by RV.com. The telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown at 2:30pm/et Saturday; the 200-lap race starts at 3:00pm/et. Dale Jarrett will work in the ESPN booth as analyst for the telecast, joined by Andy Petree. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Brent Musburger will host NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN Pit Studio, while two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car.
More ESPN Ultimate NASCAR Programming To Premiere July 5: As the return of Nextel Cup Series racing to ESPN draws nearer, ESPN is building up to the July 29 running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard with 11 hours of programming on the history of NASCAR. The month of July revs up the countdown to green with three shows highlighting NASCAR’s Greatest Drivers, Hottest Rivalries and Biggest Races. The series begins at 9:00pm/et Thursday, July 5, on ESPN with Greatest Drivers, a one-hour special produced by ESPN Content Development. The program will count down the 25 greatest drivers in NASCAR history, chosen by an exclusive panel of NASCAR experts and historians. Starting Monday, July 23, the week leading into the Brickyard race will include seven hours of NASCAR documentaries – The Explosion, The Dirt, The Cars, Speed and Danger and The Families. All shows will debut on ESPN. Since April, ESPN viewers have been watching “100 Defining Moments,” a series of 30-second vignettes that kicked off ESPN’s Ultimate NASCAR initiative and are featured on SportsCenter, NASCAR Now and other ESPN programming.ESPN is counting down the 100 most defining moments in NASCAR history as selected by the panel.(ESPN PR)(6-26-2007)

Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC: ESPN2 will feature Busch Series racing live Saturday, June 16, from Kentucky Speedway as the series makes its only appearance of 2007 at the 1.5-mile track in Sparta, Ky., near Cincinnati. The telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown at 8:00pm/et; the 300-mile race starts at 8:30pm/et. Since joining the Busch Series schedule in 2001, Kentucky Speedway has held six Busch Series races, six different drivers have gone to victory lane, including last year’s surprising win by David Gilliland. Rusty Wallace, ESPN’s lead auto racing analyst, and anchor announcer Marty Reid will call the race from the booth. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch. Mike Massaro will host NASCAR Countdown at Kentucky, joined in the ESPN Pit Studio by analyst Brad Daugherty. Tim Brewer will be at the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car.
In addition to the Busch Series race telecast on ESPN2, ESPN’s signature broadband service, ESPN360.com, will deliver a live online simulcast of Busch Series events in June, ESPN360.com’s most explosive month of coverage yet, with up to 102 live events. A Spanish-language version of the race will be televised on ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s domestic Spanish-language network. ESPN2 will also have live coverage of qualifying from Kentucky Speedway as well as the series’ final practice session. Practice coverage will air at 5:00pm/et Friday, with the live qualifying show airing at 5:00pm/et Saturday.
NASCAR Now, ESPN’s daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR, will have its expanded Monday edition on the air from 6-7pm/et, Monday on ESPN2. NASCAR Now will air on ESPN2 for 30 minutes in its regular 6:30pm/et time slot Tuesday through Thursday of this week and at 6:00pm/et Friday, immediately following Busch Series practice at Kentucky Speedway. The one-hour weekend edition will air at 10:00am/et Sunday, June 17, with highlights from Saturday’s Busch Series race and a look ahead to Sunday’s Nextel Cup Series race at Michigan. The weekend wrap-up edition of the program will air at midnight.
Fast Cars & Superstars Reality Program Continues June 14 on ABC at 8:00pm/et, celebrities including singer Jewel, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, tennis star Serena Williams and actor William Shatner are part of the drivers. The series is hosted by ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne and co-hosted by ESPN NASCAR analyst Brad Daugherty. 24 Hours at Indy Indianapolis 500 Special to air at 7:00pm/et Saturday, June 16, on ESPN2. 24 Hours at Indy offers a never-before-seen look at what it takes to prepare and stage the largest one-day sporting event in the world. By following several people involved in the race through a 24-hour period, starting the day before the race, viewers capture the entire event, discovering the intense logistics required to pull off this feat in the vastness of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 2.5-mile oval has more than 10 million square feet of racing real estate, and people in facilities, retail, food and beverage face the daunting task of getting the venue ready for race day. Viewers will feel the constant pressure on the Speedway workers, teams and drivers as the green flag nears. The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series will air on ESPN2 at noon/et on Saturday. World of Outlaws Sprint Car Racing wikk air on ESPN2 Sunday at 11am/et.(ESPN PR)(6-11-2007)

ESPN Classic Remembers: Bill France Jr. ESPN Classic will honor Bill France Jr. tonight with special programming tonight at 8:00pm/et with ESPN Classic Remembers: Bill France Jr.. France, who transformed NASCAR from a small Southern sport into a billion-dollar conglomerate during his 31 years as chairman, died Monday. NASCAR Now host Eric Kuselias will host the 30 minute live show that will focus on France and his legacy. France will also be the subject of a 60 Minutes on Classic at 8:30pm/et.(ESPN PR)(6-4-2007)

Fast Cars & Superstars Reality Program to Debut June 7 on ABC: Twelve stars of entertainment, music and sports are dreaming of life in the fast lane as they race to the finish line in Fast Cars & Superstars, a new seven-episode reality series debuting on the ABC Television Network at 8:00pm/et Thursday, June 7. In each episode, viewers will watch celebrities train with a Gillette Young Guns professional driver. The show will culminate in a one-hour finale -- a no holds barred, winner-take-all competition to be the first to lift the Fast Cars & Superstars trophy. The celebrity drivers include pop singer Jewel, actor William Shatner, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, actress Krista Allen, seven-time World All-Around Rodeo Champion Ty Murray, former NBA champion John Salley, former NFL Super Bowl champion John Elway, World Wrestling Entertainment champion John Cena, tennis star Serena Williams, volleyball great and model Gabrielle Reece, legendary surfer Laird Hamilton and former NFL Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Cowher. The series is hosted by ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne and co-hosted by former Cleveland Cavaliers center and current ESPN NASCAR analyst Brad Daugherty. Fast Cars & Superstars – Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race was co-created by BBDO and Gillette and is produced by Radical Media in association with Embassy Row Sports.(ESPN PR)(5-28-2007)

Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC: ESPN2 will feature Busch Series racing live Saturday, June 2, from the Monster Mile, Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. The telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown at 2:30pm/et, and the 200-mile race starts at 3:00pm/et. ESPN’s Suzy Kolber will make her debut as host of NASCAR Countdown at Dover, joined in the ESPN Pit Studio by analyst Brad Daugherty. Tim Brewer will be at the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car. Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for the race telecast, with Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree in the ESPN booth for analysis. Jarrett is filling in for ESPN’s lead auto racing analyst, Rusty Wallace, who will rejoin NASCAR coverage next week at Nashville. Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro will serve as pit reporters. In addition to the telecast on ESPN2, ESPN’s signature broadband service, ESPN360.com, will deliver a live online simulcast of the event, and a Spanish-language version of the race will be televised on ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s domestic Spanish-language network. ESPN2, the home of the Busch Series in 2007, will have live coverage of qualifying from Dover International Speedway as well as the series’ final practice session as it prepares for Saturday’s 200-mile race. Practice coverage will air at 2:00pm/et Friday, with the live qualifying show airing at 11:ooam/et. Saturday. Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for ESPN2’s coverage of practice and qualifying, joined in the booth by analyst Andy Petree. Pit reporters Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro will contribute to the telecasts. Analyst Dale Jarrett will be in the booth with Punch and Petree for the qualifying coverage. Suzy Kolber will host the qualifying show, joined in the ESPN Pit Studio by analyst Brad Daugherty. Tim Brewer will be at the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car.(ESPN PR)(5-29-2007)

Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC: ESPN2 will feature NASCAR Busch Series racing live Saturday, June 9, from Nashville Superspeedway as the series makes its second and final appearance of 2007 at the 1.33-mile, concrete-surfaced track. The telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown at 6:30pm/et, and the 300-mile race starts at 7pm. ESPN’s lead auto racing analyst, Rusty Wallace, will return to the booth for the Nashville telecast. Wallace took a brief hiatus from ESPN’s NASCAR coverage to work the telecast of the Indianapolis 500 by ESPN on ABC. Dale Jarrett filled in for Wallace. Joining Wallace in the booth at Nashville will be lead announcer Dr. Jerry Punch and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake. Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown at Nashville, joined in the ESPN Pit Studio by analyst Brad Daugherty. Tim Brewer will be at the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car. In addition to the Busch Series race telecast on ESPN2, ESPN’s signature broadband service, ESPN360.com, will deliver a live online simulcast of Busch Series events in June, ESPN360.com’s most explosive month of coverage yet, with up to 102 live events. A Spanish-language version of the race will be televised on ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s domestic Spanish-language network. Busch Series Practice coverage will air at 6pm/et Friday, with the live qualifying show airing at 3 p.m. Saturday. Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for ESPN2’s coverage of practice and qualifying, joined in the booth by analysts Andy Petree and Rusty Wallace. Pit reporters Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will contribute to the telecasts.Fast Cars & Superstars Reality Program to Debut June 7 on ABC at 8:00pm/et. Celebrities including singer Jewel, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, tennis star Serena Williams and actor William Shatner are dreaming of life in the fast lane as they race to the finish in the new reality show Fast Cars & Superstars -- Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race, a seven-episode series to premiere at 8pm/et Thursday, June 7 on ABC. The series is hosted by ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne and co-hosted by ESPN NASCAR analyst and former Cleveland Cavaliers center Brad Daugherty. In the debut episode, Busch pushes Elway to the limit in the cars.com car, Hamilton confirms that nothing scares him and Williams screams her way to shattering her own personal challenge. Fast Cars & Superstars – Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race was co-created by BBDO and Gillette and is produced by Radical Media in association with Embassy Row Sports.NASCAR Now will air on ESPN2 for 30 minutes in its regular 6:30pm/et time slot Tuesday through Thursday of this week and at 7pm. Friday, immediately following Busch Series qualifying at Nashville Superspeedway. The one-hour weekend edition will air at 10am Sunday, with highlights from Saturday’s NASCAR Busch Series race at Nashville and a look ahead to Sunday’s Nextel Cup Series race at Pocono. The weekend wrap-up edition of the program will air at 1:30am Monday.Other Series:
ESPN2 to Feature IndyCar Series at TexasMotor Speedway on Saturday night
NHRA Coverage from Chicago To Air Saturday and Sunday on ESPN2
Champ Car World Series Action Live from Portland on ABC 4pm on Sunday
(ESPN PR)(6-6-2007)

Ned Jarrett Returns to ESPN TV Booth: Ned Jarrett, one of the most popular motorsports announcers in history and a mainstay of ESPN’s NASCAR coverage for 15 years, will make a guest appearance alongside his son, Dale Jarrett, in the ESPN booth Saturday night during ESPN2’s live, prime-time coverage of the Busch Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The telecast will begin at 7:30pm/et. Father and son will work together as television analysts for the first time. The elder Jarrett was an auto racing analyst for ESPN from 1986 until the network ended its previous period of NASCAR coverage in 2000, at which point the two-time NASCAR Cup champion retired from television. Dale, still an active Nextel Cup driver, is working as an analyst on 10 Busch Series race telecasts this season. He made his ESPN debut in April. "Ned Jarrett has a tremendous role in the history of ESPN and NASCAR,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, studio and remote production. “A legendary father joining his legendary son in the ESPN booth, having Ned back just for one race, is certainly special to all of us. This is Father's Day arriving early for Ned and Dale, and our viewers will be the lucky ones." The Jarretts will work the ESPN booth with lead announcer Dr. Jerry Punch and analyst Andy Petree. All four are from tiny Newton, N.C., and Punch and Petree were part of Dale Jarrett’s first racing team in the late 1970s. Punch shared ownership with Ned. Dale was one of the founding drivers of the Busch Series in 1982. “I’m looking forward to Saturday night and working with my dad,” said Dale, who is filling in for ESPN’s lead auto racing analyst Rusty Wallace. “It should be a blast having him there in the booth with Jerry, Andy and me. He was a big part of my success and getting started in racing.” Ned Jarrett’s last race as a driver was in 1966, and he became a radio broadcaster shortly after. He added TV work in the 1970s. “I didn’t get to race against Dale because he was only 9 years old when I retired, but now to have the chance to work with him in the broadcast booth, my second career, is pretty neat,” he said. One of the most memorable moments in NASCAR television history occurred in 1993, when Dale won the Daytona 500 with his excited father calling the final lap from the television booth. Ned also lists as personal career highlights: working the ESPN telecast of Dale’s first NASCAR Cup win in 1991 at Michigan International Speedway and interviewing Dale on pit road for ESPN when he clinched the 1999 championship. Ned helped along his son’s driving career at the beginning and has helped with advice on Dale’s foray into television. “He asked my opinion before he agreed to do this,” Ned said. “I thought he was capable of doing it, and I felt he would be good for it and it would be good for ESPN. I feel that the best advice I can give anyone in TV is to listen to what’s being said and pay attention so that you’re not repeating what someone else has said. It helps to get into the rhythm and make a better contribution to the broadcast.” Dale has worked five telecasts so far and Ned said he has watched them all. “I’ve honestly been impressed,” he said. “I’m prejudiced but I also feel I’m realistic. He’s done a good job for the role he’s been in. I’ve had a lot of people tell me he puts it in ways they can understand it, and they appreciate that. I told him that broadcasting would be as big a challenge as driving,” Ned said. “I’m just as proud of what he’s done in the broadcast booth as I am of what he’s done in the race car.”(ESPN PR)(5-23-2007)

ESPN has introduces its new “racing ICONS”: ESPN has introduced its new “racing ICONS” content categories that provide a distinct way for fans of NASCAR to find and consume the content they want most on ESPN’s media assets. Covering all aspects of the racing experience, the five icons represent fields of relevant content related to a single category, and will be "tagged" on content across ESPN's television, online and print media. The five ICON categories are Auto Tech, Communications, Safety, Tech Center and Know How. Each ICON category organizes the broad array of in-depth ESPN content and enables fans to increasingly pursue more in-depth information and entertainment. Additionally, the innovative new fan navigation device delivers "surround" engagement across ESPN's media platforms and allows advertisers to have a complete brand-aligned content topic within ESPN's comprehensive coverage of NASCARAuto Tech – Sponsored by Chevy - The Auto Tech category of content addresses content that helps fans engage with the pure passion of the heart of the sport - the legendary vehicles and what makes them run, race, perform and evolve from 'street/stock' cars to The Car of Tomorrow.Communications – sponsored by NEXTEL - Content categorized under the Communication ICON is dedicated to exploring the pivotal role that communication plays -- between driver, owner, pit crew and an entire team.Safety – sponsored by ALLSTATE - Fans looking for information about the central focus that safety equipment and measures in NASCAR will find it categorized under the Safety ICON.Tech Center – sponsored by DISH Network - Technology is at the heart of ESPN’s NASCAR telecasts, and content tagged with the Tech Center ICON will help fans learn more about how.Know How – sponsored by The Home Depot - Content that covers news and information about the rules and strategies of racing are tagged with the Know How ICON.
ESPN'S NASCAR ICONS can be found on ESPN.com through search also, keyword ICONS or goto sports.espn.go.com.(ESPN PR)(5-15-2007)

Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC: Few race tracks are as steeped in NASCAR tradition as Darlington Raceway, the egg-shaped superspeedway that hosted its first race in 1950. ESPN2 will have live primetime coverage of Friday night’s 200-mile NASCAR Busch Series race from the 1.366-mile South Carolina track beginning at 8:00pm/et with NASCAR Countdown. The race will start at 8:30pm/et. Dale Jarrett will join two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree in the ESPN booth for analysis during the telecast. Jarrett is filling in for ESPN’s lead auto racing analyst, Rusty Wallace, who will rejoin NASCAR coverage in June. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play duties for ESPN. Dave Burns, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report the action from the pits. Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN Pit Studio, joined by analyst Brad Daugherty. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car. In addition to the telecast on ESPN2, ESPN’s signature broadband service, ESPN360.com, will deliver a live online simulcast of the event, and a Spanish-language version of the race will be televised on ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s domestic Spanish-language network.
NASCAR Now, ESPN’s daily news and information show totally dedicated to NASCAR, will have its expanded Monday edition on the air from 6-7pm/et on ESPN2. The program will have extensive highlights and recaps of the weekend’s NASCAR races, as well as looks ahead to the next weekend. NASCAR Now will air on ESPN2 for 30 minutes at its regular 6:30pm/et time slot Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week. In addition, the one-hour weekend edition will air at 10am/et Saturday with a wrap-up of Friday’s NASCAR Busch Series race from Darlington Raceway and a look ahead to that evening’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race. Sunday’s edition of the program will air at 1:00am/et.Indianapolis 500 Time Trials on ABC and ESPN2 This Weekend: Drivers will run for the pole position for the 91st Indianapolis 500 this Saturday, and ABC and ESPN2 will have five hours of live coverage of time trials beginning at 12noon/et. ESPN2 will have more than three additional hours of live coverage of the second day of Indianapolis 500 time trials on Sunday. Saturday’s coverage of Pole Day begins on ESPN2 at noon for two hours. After an hour off, coverage will resume on ABC at 3pm/et and continue until 6pm/et returning to ESPN2 from 6-7pm/et. On Sunday, ESPN2’s coverage begins at 12noon/et and runs for two hours, then resumes from 5-6:30pm/et. The 2007 running of Indy 500 from famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway marks the 43rd year of coverage of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” by ABC, the second longest-running relationship between a TV network and a major sports property. Only CBS and The Masters have been together longer. ABC and ESPN2’s coverage of Indianapolis 500 time trials will also be on the air the weekend of May 19-20, including coverage of Bump Day on Sunday, May 20.(ESPN PR)(5-8-2007)

ESPN2’s NASCAR Now Expanding to One Hour on Mondays: NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first daily news and information show totally dedicated to NASCAR, is expanding its Monday evening edition to one hour, beginning April 16. The expanded format will provide more time for recaps and analysis of the weekend’s NASCAR races. The Monday program will air from 6:00-7:00pm/et on ESPN2. NASCAR Now will air on ESPN2 for 30 minutes at its regular 6:30pm/et timeslot Tuesday through Thursday next week, with no Friday edition due to the live NASCAR Busch Series race at Phoenix International Raceway that evening on ESPN2. In addition, the weekend edition will air at 10:00am/et Saturday, rather than its usual day of Sunday, due to the Nextel Cup Series running that night at Phoenix. Reports from Phoenix will be included in Saturday’s program. Sunday night’s edition of the program will air at midnight. NASCAR Now is hosted by Erik Kuselias, Doug Banks and Ryan Burr and originates from ESPN’s High Definition studios in Bristol, Conn., with contributions from reporters Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake. Analysts Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Stacy Compton and Boris Said, along with NASCAR insiders Terry Blount, Angelique Chengelis, Tim Cowlishaw, David Newton and Marty Smith, as well as D.J. Copp, a member of the Dale Earnhardt, Jr., NASCAR team also contribute.(ESPN PR)(4-13-2007)

NASCAR Now This Week on ESPN: NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first daily news and information show totally dedicated to NASCAR, will air on ESPN2 at its regular 6:30 p.m. ET timeslot Monday through Friday of this week. In addition, the weekend edition will air at 10 a.m. Sunday, with reports from Texas Motor Speedway.(ESPN PR)(4-9-2007)

Ryan Burr Joins NASCAR Now as Host: Ryan Burr will join Erik Kuselias and Doug Banks sharing the host role of ESPN2’s NASCAR Now (6:30pm/et M-F, 10am and midnight Sundays) beginning tonight (Wednesday, April 4). Burr, who joined ESPN in August 2005 from FSN in Pittsburgh, will continue to anchor ESPNEWS. Burr said, "NASCAR Now is a wonderful opportunity to keep the NASCAR fans up to date on a daily basis, and I look forward to this next challenge in my broadcast career.” The Syracuse graduate added, “NASCAR is the fastest growing sport in this country -- definitely a priority at ESPN, and the goal of NASCAR Now is to educate and entertain NASCAR fans everywhere.” ESPN2’s NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first daily program dedicated solely to NASCAR news and information, debuted February 5, 2007, and features highlights, opinion, debate, analysis, and the latest news from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both on and off the track.(ESPN PR)(4-4-2007)

ESPN360.com To Feature All 26 ESPN2 Busch Series Races Live: ESPN announced today that its signature broadband service, ESPN360.com, will deliver live online simulcasts of every remaining ESPN2 Busch Series telecast – 26 in all, beginning on April 7 at the Nashville Superspeedway. Coverage will also include simulcasts of ESPN2’s pre-race programming, including each week’s NASCAR Countdown. ESPN360.com’s live coverage will be integrated directly into the ESPN.com RaceCast, allowing fans with access to ESPN360.com to not only watch the live race Webcast, but also follow the in-race animated graphic display and get track information, lap leaders, race leaders, driver stats and live chat with ESPN NASCAR contributor Tim Cowlishaw throughout the race. ESPN360.com is available at no charge to consumers in more than 15 million homes nationwide, via highspeed Internet connections provided by ESPN affiliated service providers. ESPN360.com’s coverage will make it the live online home of the Busch Series, complementing ESPN2 as the television home of the Busch Series.
Highlights: Extensive videohighlights from every Busch and NEXTEL Cup race on ESPN.com and ESPN360.com
Surrounding Action: Additional video from each race, including insider features, practice and qualifying footage, interviews with drivers, pit teams, extensions to ESPN studio programming and video blogs covering major news and events.
Season-Long Driver Capsules: ESPN360.com features exclusive driver-specific video capsules, progressively updated throughout the season, that provide season-to-date highlights, interviews, news and all other driver-related video.(ESPN PR)(3-27-2007)

Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC: The Busch Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway, this weekend and ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of Saturday’s 250-lap race. The Bristol event is the first short track race of the season for the Busch Series and one of six select Busch Series races this season that will air on ABC, with the other 29 to be televised by ESPN2. Coverage will begin with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown show at 2:30pm/et, with the race to start at 3:00pm/et. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who runs only a handful of Busch Series races, will compete in the Bristol event, seeking his second Bristol Busch Series win. Rusty Wallace, who was a nine-time winner at Bristol during his NASCAR Cup driving career, will lend his knowledge of the track to ESPN’s coverage as analyst, working alongside two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree in the booth with lead announcer Jerry Punch. ESPN’s pit reporter team will have a new face at Bristol as Shannon Spake, who has been reporting for ESPN’s SportsCenter, NASCAR Countdown and NASCAR Now this season, will join the telecast team working with Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro as regular pit reporter Allen Bestwick has the weekend off. Brent Musburger will host the telecast and studio analysts Tim Brewer and Brad Daugherty will join Musburger in the ESPN Pit Studio. ESPN2 will have live coverage of practice and qualifying for this weekend’s NASCAR Busch Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday and Saturday, March 23-24. Live coverage of Friday’s one-hour final practice session for the series will be aired from 2:30-3:30pm/et. Qualifying will be televised from 11:00am 12:30pm/et on Saturday. Calling the action from the booth will be Jerry Punch with analysts Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits and garage, while Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN Pit Studio with host Brent Musburger. ESPN2 will have live, primetime coverage of the 2007 IndyCar Series opener from Homestead-Miami Speedway Saturday night at 8:00pm/et. ESPN’s Marty Reid will call the race, joined in the booth for expert analysis by former IndyCar Series driver Scott Goodyear. Jack Arute, Vince Welch and Brienne Pedigo will report from the pits.(ESPN PR)(3-23-2007)

Dale Jr on SpeedFreaks: This Saturday on ESPN2, SpeedFreaks will bust out the chosen profession of one Mr. Dale Earnhardt Jr. before he even thought about paying the mortgage on that little 'ol race shop. It may have been by design that he became the most popular driver in NASCAR. From the Mopar Pits, SpeedFreaks not only unveil Dale's secret early obsession but they'll take the Freak Nation on a desert and camel off-road adventure with Baja 1000 winner and NASCAR's Robby Gordon. Crash, Lugg, Statt and The
Sarge will also engage the SpeedFreaks faithful in a heavy topic involving Nextel Cup pilots Allemndinger vs. Montoya. It will be another whiplash and smile style show this Saturday, March 10 on ESPN2 at 11:30am/et [Replayed on ESPN2 Tuesday March 13 at 5:30am/et]. This SpeedFreaks Saturday throw-down was shot from the Lucas Oil Studios in the Mopar Pits in Las Vegas.(more at SpeedFreaks.TV)(3-9-2007)

NASCAR This Week on ESPN: NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first daily news and information show totally dedicated to NASCAR, will air on ESPN2 at its regular 6:30pm/et timeslot Monday through Wednesday of this week. The half-hour program will air at midnight on Thursday, while the Friday episode will air at 1:00am/et on Saturday morning. The program’s weekend edition will air at 10 a.m. Sunday with segments from Martinsville Speedway, site of this weekend’s Nextel Cup race. ALSO: The stars and cars of the IndyCar Series will take it to the streets of St. Petersburg, FL, Sunday for the Honda IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by XM. The race will be televised live at 2:30pm/et ESPN.(ESPN PR)(3-28-2007)

NO Cup race this weekend, but Busch Series in Mexico: This Sunday ESPN, Inc. will present ESPN Full Circle: NASCAR Busch Series from Mexico City. The race will be broadcast live from Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez at 2pm/et -- the latest installation of an ESPN Full Circle presentation in which various ESPN outlets carry the event live using different coverage approaches, in addition to extensive content surrounding the race across additional ESPN outlets such as TV, radio, internet, etc. ESPN2, the home of the NASCAR Busch Series in 2007, will present a traditional race telecast (also available on ESPN2 HD), while ESPN will simulcast ESPN Deportes' Spanish-language flag-to-flag coverage. Additionally, ESPN360 will feature a live stream of the ESPN2 telecast. NASCAR Busch Series at Mexico City ESPN Full Circle highlights include:ESPN: Will present a simulcast of ESPN Deportes' Spanish-language flag-to-flag coverage of the race to more than 92 million homes in the U.S. ESPN Deportes will feature a unique telecast of the race, with its own on-site production team, Spanish-language graphics and commentary highlighting key Hispanic drivers. Play-by-play commentator Andrés Agulla will be joined in the booth by Alex Pombo for analysis. Claudia Trejos and Marcelo Vivo will serve as pit reporters.ESPN2 (ESPN2 HD): Will present traditional English-language race telecast utilizing full use of High Definition cameras, Sportvision enhancements and state-of-the-art graphics. Play-by-play commentator Jerry Punch will be joined in the booth by 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR Cup champion crew chief Andy Petree for analysis. Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro will serve as pit reporters. Coverage will begin at 10 a.m. ET with a live edition of NASCAR Now. Tim Brewer and Brad Daugherty will host the show. ESPN2's NASCAR Busch Series Countdown will be aired live at 1:30pm/et on race day, preceding the 2pm/et race start.ESPN Deportes: In addition to offering Spanish-language flag-to-flag coverage, the network will present a pre-race show from the track at 1:30pm/et, preceding the 2pm/et green flag. Immediately following the race the network will present a special one-hour edition of SportsCenter with post-race coverage and interviews from on-site.ESPNEWS: Will offer in-progress highlights, analysis, and expanded post-race coverage.ESPN360: ESPN's signature broadband service, available in 15 million homes nationwide, will feature a live simulcast of the ESPN2 telecast as part of ESPN.com's RacCast application, plus exclusive content from NASCAR Now, an ESPN360 "Super Highlight" of the race available immediately after the race and complete and post-race coverage including analysis and driver press conferences. In addition, throughout the season ESPN360 will feature exclusive driver-specific video capsules that will be progressively updated to feature season-to-date highlights, interviews, news and all other driver-related video.ESPN.com: ESPN.com coverage will be highlighted by extensive online video on ESPN.com, as well as ESPN.com's RaceCast live race-day application featuring an in-race simulcast of the ESPN2 telecast, track information, lap leaders, race leaders, driver information and live in-race chat with award-winning ESPN NASCAR writers David Newton and Terry Blount. ESPN.com will also include comprehensive coverage from Blount and Newton, Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chenglis as well as ESPN.com's exclusive integration of Jayski.com content. In addition, ESPN.com will carry translated news and columns from ESPNdeportes.com's Andres Agulla, Enrique Vega, Martha Guerra and Alex Pombo.ESPN Radio: Will present updates on the progress and results within the ESPN Radio SportsCenter reports every 20 minutes.ESPNdeportes.com: The leading Spanish-language sports Web site in the U.S., will provide additional coverage highlighted by live chats, in-race updates, driver information, and columns from Andres Agulla, Enrique Vega, Martha Guerra and Alex Pombo.ESPN Deportes Radio: The exclusive Spanish-language radio home of MRN NASCAR, will provide in-race reports, on-site reports from ESPN Deportes Radio NASCAR experts, and much more.
Additional studio programming: Several other programs will also present NASCAR Busch Series at Mexico City content, including ESPN2's Cold Pizza, and SportsCenter. In addition, ESPN Deportes will debut a new episode of ESPN Perfiles, the network's half-hour, in-depth interview show, featuring Brazilian Formula One three-time champion Nelson Piquet on Sunday, March 4 at 1pm/et.AND Juan Pablo Montoya and his crew chief, Brad Parrott, will be ESPN’s “In-Race Reporter” for coverage of Sunday’s NASCAR Busch Series event at Mexico City. Montoya, a former Indianapolis 500 winner and Formula One driver, has made the move to NASCAR this season in one of the most talked-about switches in motorsports history. ESPN2 will have live coverage of the event beginning at 1:30pm/et, while ESPN will simulcast ESPN Deportes’ Spanish-language race of the event as part of an ESPN Full Circle presentation. Montoya will have special cameras mounted inside his car to show his face as he speaks to ESPN booth analyst Rusty Wallace while on the race’s pace laps and during caution periods, providing the unique perspective of a driver in competition. Parrott will speak to booth analyst Andy Petree at various times throughout the telecast.

In addition to the race telecast on Sunday, ESPN2 will have live coverage of practice and qualifying from Mexico City on Friday and Saturday. Coverage of Friday’s one-hour final practice session for the series will be aired from 5-6 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Qualifying will be televised from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday. Calling the action from the booth will be Jerry Punch with Wallace and Petree. Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns Jamie Little and Mike Massaro will report from the pits and garage, while Chris Fowler, Tim Brewer and Brad Daugherty will be in the ESPN Pit Studio.NASCAR Now weekend edition: Race-day coverage will include the weekend edition of NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first-ever daily news and information show totally dedicated to NASCAR, at 10 a.m. Wallace, Brewer and Daugherty, joined by renowned road course driver Boris Said, will contribute from the ESPN NASCAR pit studio in Mexico City while host Erik Kuselias and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stacy Compton will anchor the program from the show’s Bristol, Conn., High Definition studio. Special guest Adrian Fernandez, driver of the Hendrick Motorsports Busch Series No. 5 car and one of Mexico’s most popular drivers and athletes, will be featured. He finished 10th and 12th in the first two Mexico City Busch Series races in 2005 and 2006. Reporter Shannon Spake will examine the recent safety improvements NASCAR has instated which came into play on David Reutimann’s violent crash last Sunday at the California Speedway, and the show will highlight Jeff Gordon’s participation in the Make-A-Wish program, granting a “wish” to one of its youngsters.(ESPN PR)

Motorsports this week on ESPN: In its continued commitment to provide the most comprehensive coverage of the 2007 NASCAR season, ESPN will present ESPN Full Circle: NASCAR Busch Series from Mexico City on Sunday, March 4, at 2:00pm/et, live from Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Coverage of NASCAR’s only event in Mexico marks the latest installation of an ESPN Full Circle presentation, in which various ESPN outlets carry the event live using different coverage approaches, in addition to extensive content surrounding the race across additional ESPN outlets such as TV, radio and internet. ESPN2, the home of the NASCAR Busch Series in 2007, will present a traditional race telecast (also available on ESPN2 HD), while ESPN will simulcast ESPN Deportes’ U.S. Hispanic Spanish-language flag-to-flag coverage. Additionally, ESPN360 will feature a live stream of the ESPN2 telecast.
ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will present an English-language race telecast utilizing full use of High Definition cameras, Sportvision enhancements and state-of-the-art graphics. ESPN’s Chris Fowler will host the telecast. Play-by-play announcer Jerry Punch will be joined in the booth by 1989 NASCAR champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree for analysis. Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro will serve as pit reporters. Coverage will begin at 10:00am/et with a live edition of NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first daily news and information show totally dedicated to NASCAR. NASCAR Countdown will be aired live at 1:30pm on race day, preceding the 2pm race start, with Fowler joining studio analysts Tim Brewer and Brad Daugherty.
ESPN will present a simulcast of ESPN Deportes’ Spanish-language flag-to-flag coverage of the race. ESPN Deportes will feature a unique telecast of the race with its own on-site production team, Spanish-language graphics and commentary and the highlighting of key Hispanic drivers. Play-by-play commentator Andrés Agulla will be joined in the booth by Alex Pombo for analysis. Claudia Trejos and Marcelo Vivo will serve as pit reporters. In addition to offering Spanish-language flag-to-flag coverage, ESPN Deportes will present a pre-race show from location at 1:00pm/et, preceding the 2 p.m. green flag. Immediately following the race the network will present a special one-hour edition of SportsCenter with post-race coverage and interviews from on-site. The simulcast will mark the first time in ESPN’s history that it has telecast an entire event in Spanish.
ESPN360, ESPN’s signature broadband service available in 15 million homes nationwide, will feature a live simulcast of the ESPN2 telecast with a race cast application, plus exclusive content from NASCAR Now, an ESPN360 “Super Highlight” of the race available immediately after the race is complete and post-race coverage including analysis and driver press conferences. In addition, throughout the season ESPN360 will feature exclusive driver-specific video capsules that will be progressively updated to feature season-to-date highlights, interviews, news and all other driver-related video.
ESPN2 will have live coverage of practice and qualifying for this weekend’s NASCAR Busch Series event in Mexico City on Friday and Saturday, March 2-3. Live coverage of Friday’s one-hour final practice session for the series will be aired from 5-6:00pm/et. Qualifying will be televised from 11:30 a.m.-1:00pm/et on Saturday. Calling the action from the booth will be Jerry Punch with analysts Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns and Jamie Little will report from the pits and garage, while Tim Brewer and Brad Daugherty will be in the ESPN Pit Studio.(ESPN PR)(2-28-2007)

ESPN, Fox, Turner work together: ESPN has struck a cooperative agreement with NASCAR's other broadcast partners, Fox and Turner, to share camera crews as a cost-saving measure. "It's for the common good," said Jed Drake, ESPN's senior vice president and executive producer for NASCAR coverage. "It would be financial insanity to do it any other way. We'll share the cameramen and certain audio effects." Drake said that ESPN has an obligation with NASCAR to show highlights of other NASCAR-sanctioned events, but the network does not have any sort of cross-promotion agreement with Fox between the Busch and Nextel Cup broadcasts.(Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service)(2-24-2007)

ESPN's NASCAR Countdown, wrap-up Daytona. preview California: ESPN’s NASCAR Countdown will preview the NASCAR Busch Series California action Saturday at 7:00pm/et on ESPN2 with host Brent Musburger, five-time NBA All-Star and former winning NASCAR team owner Brad Daugherty, two-time NASCAR Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer and from the race telecast team, 1989 NASCAR champion and booth analyst Rusty Wallace. NASCAR Countdown will also include reports from pit reporters Mike Massaro, Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, and Jamie Little as drivers and teams change strategy from Daytona, where it's all about drafting and speed, to California where it is all about downforce and handling. NASCAR Countdown will originate from California Speedway and will be telecast from ESPN’s new, state-of-the-art mobile pit studio as it sets the stage for primetime coverage of the 300-mile Busch Series race Saturday night, Feb. 24. Highlights will include: Kevin Harvick’s Historic Daytona Weekend; Sam Hornish Jr.: Quest to Race NASCAR; Live Interview with Mike Wallace; Clint Bowyer: Daytona Closing Moments; Tim Peters: Sharing a Ride with Kevin Harvick
Sunday's NASCAR Now (10-11:00am/et): Host Erik Kuselias, in the NASCAR Now studio, will be joined by Rusty Wallace, NASCAR driver Stacy Compton, and NASCAR insider Tim Cowlishaw, columnist for the Dallas Morning News. Reporters Mike Massaro and Jamie Little will also contribute, reviewing Saturday night’s NASCAR Busch Series race, and presenting the latest Nextel Cup news leading up to Sunday’s event at California Speedway. Highlights of the show: The Final Turn; Juan Pablo Montoya; Robby Gordon; Mark Martin(ESPN PR)(2-24-2007)

Motorsports this week on ESPN: The NASCAR Busch Series will be featured in primetime Saturday night, Feb. 24, as ESPN2 presents live coverage of the series event from California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. The telecast will begin at 7:00pm/et with the pre-race NASCAR Busch Series Countdown show, followed by coverage of the 300-mile race beginning at 7:30pm/et. Brent Musburger will host the race telecast, while Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play. Joining Punch in the booth for expert analysis will be 1989 NASCAR champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro will be pit reporters. For the pre-race show from the ESPN pit studio, Musburger will host, joined by analysts Tim Brewer, a two-time NASCAR champion crew chief, and five-time NBA All-Star and former NASCAR team owner Brad Daugherty.
Coverage will shift west at the end of the week toward California Speedway where reporter Jamie Little will make her NASCAR Now debut to help preview Saturday’s NASCAR Busch Series live telecast on ESPN2. Little, an experienced action sports and motorsports reporter for ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, served as a pit reporter for ESPN’s coverage of the IndyCar Series season the last three years and is working the networks’ NASCAR telecasts in 2007. ESPN2 will have live coverage of practice and qualifying for this weekend’s NASCAR Busch Series event at California Speedway on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-24. Live coverage of Friday’s one-hour practice session for the series will be aired from 1:30-2:30pm/et. Qualifying, which will be held on the same day as the 300-mile race, will be televised from 3-5pm/et on Saturday. Brent Musburger will host the practice and qualifying telecasts, joined in ESPN’s pit studio by analyst Tim Brewer. Calling the action from the booth will be Jerry Punch with analysts Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns and Jamie Little will report from the pits and garage.
Carlos Contreras, one of the most well-known Hispanic drivers in NASCAR history, has joined ESPN Deportes’ team for coverage of the 2007 NASCAR season. Contreras, who will serve as analyst for numerous races, will make his debut this weekend on ESPN Deportes’ flag-to-flag coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series race from the California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Contreras will join analyst Alex Pombo and play-by-play commentator Andrés Agulla in the booth. ESPN Deportes is ESPN’s domestic Spanish-language television network.(ESPN PR)(2-22-2007)

Dr. Jerry Punch to the rescue: Just because ESPN's Dr. Jerry Punch decided to swap his stethoscope for a microphone doesn't mean the medical degree he earned at Wake Forest hasn't been useful over the years. Twice while working races as an ESPN announcer Punch has been called on to aid seriously-injured drivers. At Bristol he revived Rusty Wallace, who had stopped breathing, and once after an ARCA crash he administered lifesaving first aid to injured racer Don Marnor. And ESPN's Dr. Jerry Punch was addressing a Nashville Superspeedway media luncheon Tuesday at The Palm restaurant downtown when he was interrupted by a loud crash from the back of the room. Someone yelled "Is there a doctor in the house?" Amid the laugher came a more serious shout: "We're not kidding! We need a doctor back here!" Punch immediately rushed from the podium to the back of the room where Jenny Gill [Vince Gill's daughter], a Nashville Superspeedway intern, had fainted. Punch helped to revive the Middle Tennessee State graduate student. She was taken to a local care center for observation and soon recovered, according to Sean Dozier, the superspeedway's public relations director.
Punch returned to the podium and resumed his speech.(Tennessean)(2-21-2007)

ESPN NASCAR Countdown: ESPN’s NASCAR Busch Series Countdown will preview the Busch Series season-opener action Saturday at noon ET on ESPN2 with hosts Brent Musburger and Chris Fowler, current NASCAR driver Boris Said, five-time NBA All-Star and former winning NASCAR team ownerBrad Daugherty, two-time NASCAR Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer and veteran racing TV reporter Shannon Spake. NASCAR Countdown will also include reports from the race telecast team, 1989 NASCAR champion and booth analyst Rusty Wallace, play-by-play announcer Jerry Punch and former team owner and the 1993-94 championship-winning crew chief for the late Dale Earnhardt,booth analyst Andy Petree. Pit reportersMike Massaro and Allen Beswick will also report. NASCAR Countdown will originate from Daytona International Speedway and will be telecast from ESPN’s new, state-of-the-art mobile pit studio as it sets the stage for the Busch Series opener on ESPN2 Saturday at 1:15pm/et. Highlights will include: Continuing his dream: Bobby Hamilton Jr.; Delana Harvick: Life as a Wife and an Owner; X Games and NASCAR; Juan Pablo Montoya; Buschwackers; Aerosmith Rocks.(ESPN PR)(2-16-2007)

Motorsports this week on ESPN: Live NASCAR racing returns to ESPN for the first time in six years Saturday with coverage of the Busch Series season opener from Daytona International Speedway on ESPN2. The telecast begins at 12noon/et with the Busch Series Countdown pre-race show, followed at 1:15pm/et by flag-to-flag coverage of the 300-mile race. The race telecast will be produced in High Definition and with the most advanced technology ever used in motorsports coverage. ESPN is elevating the Busch Series with full-season coverage on its multi-media platforms and the same standards and quality of production as the Nextel Cup Series including the full use HD cameras, Sportvision enhancements and state-of-the-art graphics. Brent Musburger will host the race telecast, while Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play. Joining Punch in the booth for expert analysis will be 1989 NASCAR champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro will be pit reporters. For the pre-race show from the ESPN pit studio, ESPN’s Chris Fowler will be studio host, joined by analysts Tim Brewer, a two-time NASCAR champion crew chief, and five-time NBA All-Star and former NASCAR team owner Brad Daugherty.(ESPN PR)(2-15-2007)

ESPN2 to have Live Busch Series Practice/Qualifying from Daytona: As the Busch Series prepares to kick off its 2007 season at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, ESPN2 will have live coverage of practice and qualifying for the season-opening race on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 15-16. Live coverage of the 90-minute final practice session for the series will be aired from 9:30-11 am/et on Thursday, with a condensed replay from 5-6pm/et that afternoon. Qualifying to determine the starting lineup for the race will be covered live from 3-6pm/et. Friday on ESPN2, with a simulcast on ESPN from 5-6pm/et. Brent Musburger will host the practice and qualifying telecasts, joined in ESPN’s pit studio by analyst Tim Brewer. Calling the action from the booth will be Jerry Punch with analysts Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns and Jamie Little will report from the pits and garage.(ESPN PR)(2-14-2007)

Three Hours of Prime Time NASCAR Shows Wed. night on ESPN2: ESPN2 will air three hours of NASCAR-related programming in prime time Wednesday night, including two season preview shows and a movie about one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers. A pair of half-hour programs previewing the 2007 seasons of both the Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series will be aired on Wednesday night, Feb. 14, starting at 9pm/et with the Nextel Cup show. The evening will continue at 10pm/et with a replay of the ESPN Original Entertainment movie “3,” based on the life of the late Dale Earnhardt, seven-time NASCAR champion.(ESPN PR)()

ESPN’S NASCAR NOW Live from Daytona This week: NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first daily news show totally dedicated to NASCAR, will originate from Daytona International Speedway starting Monday, Feb. 12, and continuing all week. The program will air on both ESPN2 (generally 6:30-7pm/et) and ESPN (generally 5-6pm/et) leading up ESPN2’s live coverage of the Busch Series season opener on Feb. 17 on ESPN2, and the running of the Daytona 500. Hosts Erik Kuselias (M-Th-F) and Chris Fowler (T-W) will be joined by Rusty Wallace, Tim Brewer and reporters Mike Massaro, Marty Smith, Angelique Chengelisand Shannon Spakethroughout the week, along with Brad Daugherty, Tim Cowlishawand driver Boris Said. Guests are expected to include NASCAR star Jeff Gordon as well as the pole winners for both the Daytona 500 and the Busch Series Orbitz 300 and the Gatorade Duel 150 winners. Features will include a Daugherty conversation with Richard Petty and Spake’s look at Michael Waltrip and Toyota entering the Nextel Cup Series.(ESPN PR)(2-12-2007)

Contreras joins ESPN Deportes’ NASCAR Team: Carlos Contreras, one of the first Hispanic drivers in NASCAR, has joined ESPN Deportes’ experienced team of hosts, analysts and reporters for ESPN Deportes’ coverage of the 2007 NASCAR season. Contreras will serve as analyst for numerous races, joining analyst Alex Pombo and play-by-play commentator Andrés Agulla in the booth. He will make his first appearance on ESPN Deportes’ flag-to-flag coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series: Stater Bros 300 Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:30pm/et live from the California Speedway in Fontana, CA. “We are excited to have Carlos on our team,” said Chris Calcinari, vice president of production and operations, ESPN Deportes. “Carlos will bring real world insight, experience, and inside information to our productions, and his on-the-track experience will be a tremendous asset for our NASCAR telecasts. For the first time in the history of Spanish-language television fans will be able to follow NASCAR action in Spanish and we have assembled the most knowledgeable team to offer top-notch coverage.” Contreras, an eight-time Mexican racing champion, has 84 career starts in NASCAR’s top series, including 70 in the Craftsman Truck Series and 14 in the Busch Series, the most of any Hispanic driver. Contreras made his NASCAR debut by qualifying 7th and finishing 14th in the season finale Craftsman Truck Series at the California Speedway in 1999. He ran the full Truck Series season in 2000 and was runner-up in the Rookie of the Year standings to future Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch. In addition to his duties with ESPN Deportes, this 2007 season Contreras is slated to run several Busch series races for Armando Fitz and Fitz Motorsports, beginning with Mexico City on March 4th.(ESPN PR)(2-12-2007)

ESPN Sets Nextel Cup Schedule Times: Nextel Cup Series racing will return to ESPN for the first time in six years with the network’s coverage of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, July 29, from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. ESPN and ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of the final 17 races of the 2007 season, including all 10 races in the “Chase for the Nextel Cup” by ESPN on ABC, the first time that all Chase races will be on the same network. ESPN’s full schedule for the 2007 Nextel Cup Series season will include telecasts of practice and qualifying from 13 races, the season-ending banquet and season preview and review specials. There will also be a dedicated pre-race program for each race telecast called Nextel Cup Series Countdown. And, for the first time in televised motorsports, all will be produced totally in High Definition. ESPN’s return to NASCAR will begin with live coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series season opener from Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 17. ESPN2 will be the home of the NASCAR Busch Series all season, with six select races televised by ESPN on ABC. "The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard has always been a marquee event on the Nextel Cup schedule and we cannot wait to provide our flag-to-flag coverage from such an historic race track," said John Wildhack, ESPN senior vice president, programming. "We will dedicate unprecedented multimedia resources to the sport beginning with the season-opening NASCAR Busch Series race at Daytona, continuing with our opening NEXTEL Cup race at Indianapolis on ESPN, and until the season champions are crowned."(ESPN PR), see my 2007 Nextel Cup Schedule page for the race/tv times.(2-8-2007)

NASCAR and ESPN Zone team up for Daytona 500 party: The 2007 Nextel Cup Season gets underway on Sunday,
February 18th with the "Great American Race," the Daytona 500. NASCAR, Q 104.3 FM and ESPN Zone are going to be holding an official Daytona 500 Viewing Party at ESPN Zone in New York.
Who: NASCAR, Q 104.3 FM and ESPN Zone.
What: The official New York City Daytona 500 Viewing Party.
Where: ESPN Zone, located at 1472 Broadway on the corner of 42nd and Broadway in Times Square.
When: Sunday, February 18th from 2:00 - 6:00pm/et.
Promotions for the viewing party include a Lap Leader Ballot and Trivia Contests. The Lap Leader Ballot will be distributed to guests prior to the start of the race. Viewers will guess the correct lap leader after laps 50, 100, 150 and 200 (race winner). Winners of the lap leader ballot contest will be entered to win NASCAR prizes. Winners of the trivia contests will receive Nextel Cup Series t-shirts, NASCAR hats, and Anheuser Busch/Dale Jr. Premiums.(NASCAR PR)(2-5-2007)

NASCAR Now to debut on Monday Night, ESPN2: After more than a year of planning and preparation, NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first-ever daily news show totally dedicated to NASCAR, will premiere Monday, Feb. 5, at 6:30pm/et on ESPN2. NASCAR Now will be produced in High Definition and originate from a new state-of-the-art studio at ESPN’s campus in Bristol, Conn. Host Erik Kuselias will guide viewers through 30 minutes of fast-paced highlights, opinion, debate, analysis and the latest news from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both on and off the track. For the debut show, as well as episodes on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 6-7, Kuselias will be joined in the studio by ESPN motorsports analysts Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion, and two-time Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer. Wallace and Brewer will select their top five drivers of 2007 in addition to discussing and debating topics including the Car of Tomorrow, Toyota’s emergence in the top levels of NASCAR and NASCAR’s announced changes to the format of the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. Defending Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will appear on Monday’s show, while NASCAR Now will check in with 2006 Busch Series champion Kevin Harvick on Tuesday. Viewers will hear from Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael Waltrip later in the week. “In the history of ESPN, news and information has been a key part of our growth, and it’s at the heart of everything we do,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, studio and remote production. “First there was SportsCenter, and then ESPNEWS, ESPN.com, ESPN Radio and other platforms that are part of our DNA. We’re really proud to have the opportunity to extend that on a daily basis to NASCAR Now.” Kuselias, who has been the host of ESPN Radio’s SportsBash since 2003, said that he looks forward to the challenge of NASCAR Now. NASCAR Now will air at 6:30pm/et Monday through Friday on ESPN2, with special editions to air on NASCAR race weekends. Reporters Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake and NASCAR insiders Angelique Chengelis, Tim Cowlishaw and Marty Smith will also contribute to the show along with analysts Brad Daugherty, Boris Said and Stacy Compton. Compton and Cowlishaw will appear in the studio with Kuselias on Thursday and Friday of premiere week.
Live NASCAR racing returns to ESPN for the first time in six years with coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 1:15pm/et on ESPN2.(ESPN PR)(2-2-2007)

ESPN names Said and Compton Analysts of NASCAR Now: NASCAR drivers Boris Said and Stacy Compton and popular urban radio host Doug Banks have joined the experienced team of hosts, analysts and reporters for NASCAR’s return to ESPN’s multimedia platforms in 2007. The three will be part of NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first-ever daily news show totally dedicated to NASCAR, debuting Monday, Feb. 5 [at 6:30pm/et]. Said and Compton will bring their years of racing experience to NASCAR Now as expert analysts, joining two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Tim Brewer and five-time NBA All-Star and former winning NASCAR team owner Brad Daugherty in that position. Banks will contribute to the show’s host role with primary host Erik Kuselias. NASCAR Now will air at 6:30pm/et Monday through Friday on ESPN2, with special editions to air on NASCAR race weekends. Reporter Shannon Spake and NASCAR Insiders Angelique Chengelis, Tim Cowlishaw and Marty Smith will also contribute to a fast-paced menu of highlights, opinion, debate, analysis and the latest news from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both on and off the track. Live NASCAR racing returns to ESPN for the first time in six years with coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 1:15pm/et on ESPN2.(ESPN PR)(1-30-2007)

ESPN signs Compton as lead analyst: Stacy Compton has agreed to terms on a contract that will make him ESPN's "lead analyst," the driver confirmed Thursday. He said the contract is for one year with a two-year option for 2008 and 09. ESPN will make a formal announcement of Compton's hiring next Tuesday. Compton made his first ESPN appearance on Thursday night's 6 p.m. SportsCenter. He will be a regular contributor to the ultra-popular sports news show, and he will share his racing expertise on three racing-exclusive programs a week during the season. He and host Erik Kuselias will do a Monday "NASCAR Now" program, and Compton will also appear on two Sunday "RaceDay" shows. Most of the programs will air from ESPN's Bristol, Conn., studios, but Compton expects to do some work from NASCAR tracks. Official airdates of "NASCAR Now" [Feb 5th at 6:30pm/et and weekdays at that time] and "RaceDay" will be announced next week. Compton's only regret about his budding television career is it will cut into his racing slate. He recently signed to drive an abbreviated Craftsman Truck Series schedule for 2007 with Wood Brothers/JTG Motorsports, the team he drove for in the Busch Series from 2001-06. Compton will share the driving duties of the #09 Ford F-150 with Georgia driver Joey Clanton. Compton is signed to pilot the truck for nine races, and Clanton is scheduled to drive the other 16. There also are plans for Compton to drive some Busch Series races for Wood Brothers Racing. Compton is talking with other teams about possible race
dates, too.(News and Advance)(1-27-2007)

All NASCAR Races on ESPN to be in High-Def..including In-Car Cams: NASCAR fans are welcoming back an old friend this year with ESPN’s return to coverage of the sport, but the old friend is going to have a sophisticated new look when live NASCAR coverage resumes next month. ESPN and ESPN on ABC’s coverage of the Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series will be the most technologically advanced programming in the history of televised motorsports, according to Jed Drake, senior vice president and executive producer for ESPN. "ESPN's presentation of NASCAR will be state of the art at every level of production,” said Drake. ”We have built a production plan that will provide a truly exceptional presentation to our viewers."
All NASCAR on ESPN races and associated programming will be totally produced in High Definition, a first for televised motorsports. Of the approximately 60 to 75 cameras that will be used by ESPN in televising races, more than used in any other sport, all will be HD.
ESPN, a pioneer in the development of in-car cameras during its 20 seasons of NASCAR coverage from 1981-2000, has been preparing for use of HD in-car cameras in advance of the Busch Series season-opening Orbitz 300 from Daytona on ESPN2 February 17.
The camera systems had to be re-engineered for HD, as did the camera power and transmission systems within the race cars, all while maintaining a delicate balance to not add weight to the cars and possibly affect their performance. ESPN’s NASCAR coverage will also include HD cameras providing other interesting points of view, including grass cam, wall cam, crew cams, pit overhead cams, blimps and multiple robotic cameras at various points around the tracks. In addition to 100% use of HD cameras, ESPN will also produce NASCAR’s top two series with Sportvision technology, which Rich Feinberg, senior coordinating producer, said no TV network has ever used in Busch Series coverage. Sportvision utilizes satellite technology to create on-screen “pointers” to designate specific cars within a pack, helping viewers distinguish their favorite driver’s car, lead-lap cars and produces telemetry from the race cars to show speeds, braking and other compelling information to viewers. All cars in the races will carry Sportvision transmitters.
ESPN’S NASCAR FUN FACTS:
6 – Tractor-trailer rigs used each event (including pit studio, in-car camera trailer, custom office trailer)
10 – Number of months ESPN’s NASCAR fleet will be on the road (February-November)
26 – Tracks ESPN’s mobile fleet will visit in 2007
38 – NASCAR events ESPN’s mobile fleet will attend in 2007
52 – NASCAR races to be televised live by ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC in 2007 (full 35-race Busch Series season, final 17 Nextel Cup events)
60-75 – HD Cameras used by ESPN to televise a NASCAR race (including in-car cameras)
200 – Credentialed ESPN personnel working on NASCAR each week
78,000 – Weight in pounds of ESPN traveling studio for NASCAR Countdown shows
ESPN commissioned the creation of four of what Feinberg said are “the most sophisticated mobile production units ever built in the history of TV motorsports, designed just for our NASCAR coverage.” Among the innovations within the ESPN-branded units is a radio room in which radio transmissions of all 43 teams in NASCAR races will be recorded during races, allowing producers to be able to lift specific transmissions of any driver or team at any time. “I call it the ultimate TiVo,” said Feinberg.
For its NASCAR Countdown studio shows that will precede all NASCAR race telecasts, ESPN will originate from the most technologically-advanced traveling studio ever used in sports television. The studio, which weighs nearly 78,000 pounds and will travel to 26 NASCAR tracks this season, will allow ESPN to bring the look and feel of its Bristol, Conn.,-based studio shows such as SportsCenter and Sunday NFL Countdown to the tracks.
The mobile pit studio will be outfitted with state-of-the-art LED lighting, three robotic HD cameras and a dramatic, contoured, video display fronting the anchor desk. Situated near the pits at every track, the studio will be elevated 14 feet while in use and 30 foot glass windows will give viewers a look at the cars, grandstands and pageantry prior to the race start. “We want to show the scope and size of the sport,” Feinberg said. Feinberg also said ESPN will have an exciting new animation, graphic and musical package featuring Aerosmith.(ESPN PR)(1-24-2007)

ESPN Unviels First Phase of Marketing Campaign for NASCAR: ESPN is unveiling the first phase of its multimedia marketing campaign for NASCAR on ESPN, announced by Katie Lacey, senior vice president, marketing. Created by Wieden+Kennedy New York, the campaign honors NASCAR’s rich heritage and pays tribute to the teams, drivers and dedicated legions of fans whose combined passion has fueled the sport’s tremendous growth. This is the opening campaign for NASCAR’s eight-year, multi-platform return to ESPN. “Our NASCAR on ESPN brand campaign is intended to generate awareness and excitement of NASCAR coming to ESPN and, importantly, demonstrate our understanding of the sport and the passionate culture that surrounds it,” said Lacey.
The brand campaign bears the new NASCAR tagline, “NASCAR on ESPN: It’s The Life”, and provides an inside look and behind-the-scenes glimpse of the sights, sounds, energy and fandom that makes up the NASCAR experience. An additional phase of the campaign is scheduled to roll out in February and will run throughout the NASCAR NEXTEL and NASCAR Busch Series season, as well as the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.” This year will mark the first time all of “The Chase” races will air on one network - ESPN on ABC. The NASCAR on ESPN brand campaign will run on all ESPN TV and Radio networks and will include outdoor, print and online components. Flag-to-flag NASCAR racing returns to ESPN on February 17th with the NASCAR Busch Series season-opener from Daytona International Speedway.(ESPN PR)(1-17-2007)

ESPN the Magazine allows fans to vote for next cover: Each year, ESPN The Magazine's trademark NEXT issue looks ahead and identifies those athletes whose talent and style will shape the landscape of sports in the years to come. This year, in addition to showcasing the innovations and trends that are changing the games we love, The Magazine has selected five finalists to vie for the prize of NEXT cover athlete: Dwight Howard, Calvin Johnson, Evgeni Malkin, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jose Reyes.
For the second year in a row, fans can log on to ESPN.com, from January 10-17, to vote on who should be NEXT. The winner of the poll will appear on the cover of The Magazine’s NEXT issue, on sale January 31. Previous NEXT cover athletes include Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Yao Ming, Alex Rodriguez and Brian Urlacher.(ESPN PR)(1-12-2007)

NASCAR Now Daily News Shows to Debut Feb 5th on ESPN2: ESPN2’s NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first daily program dedicated solely to NASCAR news and information, will debut February 5 at 6:30pm/et. Starting February 18, NASCAR Now will also be aired Sundays at 10:00am/et. Erik Kuselias will serve as NASCAR Now host, giving up his role hosting ESPN Radio’s SportsBash (4:00-7:00pm M-F), but maintaining a fill-in role at ESPN Radio. For the week of February 12, NASCAR Now will originate from Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR Now’s Daytona coverage will include the Busch Series’ Daytona 300 on February 17, the first race on ESPN2. When NASCAR Now returns to Bristol (Connecticut, not Tennessee) Monday, Feb. 19, the show will originate from a high-tech, garage-like, HD studio. “We’re looking forward to providing NASCAR fans the latest news, analysis and opinion in the timeliest and best format -- HD -- six days a week,” said Jack Obringer, NASCAR Now coordinating producer. “Erik will elicit the best information from our team of NASCAR reporters, experts and insiders.” Kuselias will serve as the show’s spotter, navigating viewers through 30 minutes of highlights, opinion, debate, analysis, and the latest news from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both on and off the track. NASCAR Now will also feature Busch Series news and fantasy elements. Additionally, joining the ESPN and ABC NASCAR team will be the front-tire changer for the #8 Budweiser Chevy D.J. Copp, who’ll lend pit-crew expertise as a NASCAR Now contributor.
Kuselias will be joined by reporters, crew members, drivers and former drivers, allowing NASCAR Now to cover every angle of the sport. The NASCAR Now team will include:
Tim Brewer, two-time NASCAR Cup champion crew chief
Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News NASCAR writer and columnist
Marty Smith, NASCAR.com senior writer
Angelique S. Chengelis, Detroit News NASCAR writer and columnist
D.J. Copp, front tire changer on the #8 Budweiser Chevy
Shannon Spake, reporter for SPEED’s NASCAR Nation and Backseat Drivers host
Brad Daugherty, five-time NBA All-Star and former winning NASCAR team owner
NASCAR Now viewers will also benefit from frequent contributions by the ESPN / ABC NASCAR team including Rusty Wallace, Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro, Dale Jarrett andESPN Deportes’ NASCAR commentators Andrés Agulla and Alex Pombo.(ESPN PR)(1-10-2007)

2006 News

ESPN adds more auto racing to their coverage: ESPN has further bolstered its motorsports lineup with the announcement of a new, multi-year agreement that will mark the return of the Champ Car World Series in 2007. At least 11 events of the international open-wheel racing series will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC in 2007, with the networks exclusively airing the series in 2008. With the addition of Champ Car to its motorsports lineup, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC will televise races in 2007 featuring the four major North American auto racing sanctioning bodies: NASCAR, NHRA, Champ Car and IndyCar. ESPN2 will have more than 500 hours of motorsports programming in 2007. The new arrangement also provides for coverage of races of Champ Car’s feeder series, the Champ Car Atlantic Series, which will be aired primarily on ESPN2.(ESPN PR)(11-17-2006)

Where is Marty? [Waldo?] been asked by many readers: where is Marty Smith? looks like he is formerly of nascar.com as his columns and videos are no longer there, have not heard anything for sure and emails go un-answered, but hearing Smith has signed with ESPN/ESPN.com/ABC to do TV and other duties, but have heard nothing official. Smith has been doing some NASCAR reporting on ESPNews Monday nights most of the season.(11-3-2006)

5-Time NBA All-Star Daugherty Shifting Gears: Basketball fans know Brad Daugherty as an accomplished and well-known NBA and college basketball star, but few may know of Daugherty’s lifelong passion of NASCAR racing. Daugherty’s racing interests date back to his childhood when he met Richard Petty at the Daytona International Speedway in 1977. Daugherty would later choose to wear Petty’s number – 43 – throughout his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, Daughterty has joined the ESPN and ABC team of hosts, analysts and pit reporters in 2007 to provide what he describes as the “fan’s perspective” in the network’s comprehensive, multimedia coverage devoted to NASCAR. “I’m just really excited about being able to get involved on this level,” said Daugherty. “I have a little bit of technical and ownership experience, but mostly, I am a fan.” In his second year in the NBA, Daugherty took a serious interest in racing and in 1987, co-founded a late-model stock race team with driver Robert Pressley in Asheville, N.C. The team raced in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the NASCAR Racing Series, winning the regional championship in 1987 and 1988. In 1989, they joined the NASCAR Busch Series and earned the team’s first major victory at the Orange County Speedway in North Carolina. While continuing to play pro hoops, Daugherty supported and mentored several up-and-coming drivers as an owner in the NASCAR Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series, explaining that he wanted to nurture their talents and see their careers grow. Drivers included the late Kenny Irwin Jr., Wayne Anderson and Kevin Harvick. Irwin won two Craftsman Truck Series races driving for Daugherty in 1997, the first at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March and the second at Texas Motor Speedway in June. "I hope to draw in a new audience,” he added. “NASCAR is a sport that business-wise, has to continue to grow and go international. It needs to broaden horizons and I hope my presence gives fans even more reason to turn it on and watch.”
A long-time fan of the sport, Daugherty will sit alongside fellow commentators on two new shows -- NASCAR Countdown and NASCAR Now. NASCAR Countdown will immediately precede all Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series races televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, while NASCAR Now, the network’s first-ever daily program solely dedicated to NASCAR, will deliver the most up-to-date news and information each weekday. NASCAR Now will debut on ESPN2 on Feb. 5, 2007. “It’s like taking a fan out of the stands and into the booth,” said Daugherty. “I’m as interested in the stories and sagas as the competition. I know those little pieces that nobody talks about.” Daugherty previously served as a college basketball game sideline reporter and analyst for ESPN and ABC (1999-2001), covering the ACC conference telecasts. Before ESPN, Daugherty served as a game analyst for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers from 1996-1998 on the Hometown 43/Cavaliers Television Network and in those same years did limited work as an analyst for the San Antonio Spurs.(ESPN PR)(11-1-2006)

ESPN Daily Show: hearing the ESPN 'Daily NASCAR/Racing Show' will be called "NASCAR Now". No word who will host the shows, but told that John Kernan will not and will not be part of the ESPN NASCAR TV Crew at the track in 2007. Kernan was the host of the Bass Master Fishing Show on ESPN until it was recently cancelled and the host of the late great RPM2Nite show on ESPN until 2001, no word on his plans but hear his looking for a gig.(8-28-2006)

ABC Sports Will Carry ESPN Brand: The ESPN look is moving to ABC. ESPN will become the brand for all sports programming carried on ABC, starting with the debut of ABC's college football season on Sept. 2. "ESPN on ABC" will begin with the College Football Countdown, followed by regional college football games that day. The first prime-time college football series on broadcast television, "Saturday Night Football," will debut at 8pm with Notre Dame at Georgia Tech. "Our collection of multimedia sports assets is unmatched in the industry, and we will now extend the ESPN brand across all platforms," said George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks, on Thursday. The new approach covers all production efforts, including on-air, graphics and branding. Sporting events on ABC will be promoted on ESPN. "ESPN has been infused with ABC Sports' history of innovation, and we are committed to building upon that legacy as we continue to serve fans and our partners more effectively through ESPN on ABC," Bodenheimer said. The network will acquire NASCAR's Nextel Cup next year, including the Chase for the championship. ABC already features the NBA finals, Indy 500, Rose Bowl, Belmont Stakes, British Open, World Cup, WNBA, MLS and the Little League World Series, broadcasting 500 hours of sports a year.(Associated Press)(8-11-2006)

More on the Split-screen for TV: Ramsey Poston, NASCAR's managing director for corporate communications, touched off strong reaction on internet message board with a quote in the Long Island (N.Y.) Press about NASCAR’s opinion of the "side by side" approach ABC/ESPN uses with commercials on Indy Racing League races. "We've looked at a lot of options to enhance the fan/viewer experience but feel that a split-screen presentation of ads and racing serves neither the fan nor advertiser," Poston told the newspaper.
On Friday [July 21st], Poston said he didn't mean for his comment to come off as though he was speaking for the fans. "We are open to it, if there is a better way of presenting it," he said. “But we haven't seen an idea that we think would work both the advertisers and fans." On its IRL broadcasts, ABC/ESPN present commercials with audio on part of the screen while showing an image from the track, with no sound, on another part. The method has produced no appreciable gain in IRL ratings for ABC/ESPN, however. Advertisers pay considerably higher rates for ads on NASCAR telecasts.(Thatsracin)(7-28-2006)

No Split-screen option? No says NASCAR: Fans hoping that NASCAR’s move to ABC/ESPN next year would improve their viewing experience may be in for a rude awakening. Although the networks employ a “Side-By-Side” split-screen feature for its Indy Racing League coverage that allows viewers to continue watching the action while commercials play, NASCAR has forbidden ABC/ESPN or any of its other TV partners from marketing that kind of advertising. “We’ve looked at a lot of options to enhance the fan/viewer experience but feel that a split-screen presentation of ads and racing serves neither the fan nor advertiser,” says Ramsey Poston, NASCAR’s managing director of corporate communications. “Our TV partners do an excellent job of immediately returning to significant track action when it happens during commercials. With replays and other technology, the networks make sure NASCAR fans get the best, most comprehensive race coverage anywhere.” But according to George McNeilly, senior director of communications for ESPN/ABC Sports, the networks would be interested in exploring the split-screen option. “We are engaging focus groups and other research in an effort to quantify the positive feedback we’ve received from people who’ve enjoyed the viewing experience,” McNeilly says. “[Allowing the split screen] would be a NASCAR decision. We’re in discussions about that and many other things.”(Long Island Press)(7-20-2006)

Smith to ESPN/ABC?: NASCAR.com's Marty Smith is rumored to be one of the commentators for ESPN's live race coverage when the cable network resumes live NASCAR broadcasts next year.(Ford Racing)(6-13-2006)

FOX Producer back to ESPN? UPDATE: hearing that Neil Goldberg is leaving as FOX Producer and going back to ESPN. Pocono is supposedly his last race.UPDATE: been told that Goldberg going back to ESPN isn't a done deal nor does he have a contract already signed with ESPN. Apparently, Goldberg and FOX are taking the next three weeks to look at all options.(6-9-2006)

ESPN Sports Poll Tabs NASCAR as Top Racing Series: NASCAR tops the list as the favorite type of motorsports according to fans polled from January-December 2005 on ESPN.com. It received 59.5% of the votes compared to the next-highest total of 13.4% for the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). Following in third place were motorcycle events at 9.7, Formula 1 with 6.3, the Indy Racing League (IRL) with 6.1, Champ Car World Series with 1.4 and other racing series at 0.4. NASCAR also led the 2004 version of the ESPN Sports Poll, with fans sampling conducted from January through February of that year. In the 2004 poll, NASCAR led with 57.6% of fans’ response, followed by the NHRA with 13.9, motorcycle events with 9.8, the IRL with 6.8, Formula 1 with 6.0, Champ Car World Series with 1.8 and other racing series at 0.5.(NASCAR PR)(5-15-2006)

NASCAR, ESPN International announce venture: ESPN International will become the exclusive worldwide syndication agent for NASCAR outside of North America, officials for both groups announced. Beginning in 2007, ESPN International will handle the worldwide television syndication for NASCAR and will also help find broadcast partners on a country-by-country basis. Therefore, both companies will expand the scope of their operations. ESPN and ABC take over broadcasting of the portion of the NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule currently carried on NBC beginning next season. The group also has the rights to the Busch Series broadcasts as of 2007. "This agreement is an important step in the continued growth of NASCAR beyond the U.S.," Robbie Weiss, international managing director for NASCAR, said in a news release. "We are excited to partner with ESPN International and their worldwide syndication team to help strengthen NASCAR's reach and bring NASCAR to audiences all over the world."(SceneDaily.com)(4-18-2006)

ESPN Announces Broadcast Crews & Reporters

Brewer, Smith, Chengelis, Blount, Newton Join ESPN: Championship-winning crew chief Tim Brewer and award-winning journalists Marty Smith, Angelique Chengelis, Terry Blount and David Newton have joined the experienced team of hosts, analysts and reporters for NASCAR’s return to the ESPN’s multimedia platforms in 2007.
Aligning their expertise with that of previously announced hosts, analysts and pit reporters -- Brent Musburger, Rusty Wallace, Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro, Dale Jarrett, Brad Daugherty, Shannon Spake and ESPN Deportes’ NASCAR commentators Andrés Agulla and Alex Pombo -- Brewer, Smith, Chengelis, Blount and Newton add more than 75 years of combined experience to the already-accomplished team.
Brewer, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning crew chief for Cale Yarborough in 1978 and Darrell Waltrip in 1981, will join Daugherty and Spake as an analyst on NASCAR Now, the network’s first-ever daily program solely dedicated to NASCAR. Additionally, he also will work from the pit studio on NASCAR Countdown, which will immediately precede all NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series races televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.
“Tim Brewer’s wealth of knowledge and experience is a tremendous addition to our NASCAR studio programs,” said ESPN coordinating producer Jill Frederickson. “He has more than 35 successful years of history with the sport and we welcome the contributions he will make.”
Smith, a former writer for NASCAR.com, and Chengelis, longtime motorsports writer for the Detroit News, join ESPN as NASCAR Insiders, reporting on the latest news and information behind-the-scenes and breaking stories on teams, drivers, owners and crew chiefs. Two of the industry’s most respected journalists, both will serve several of ESPN’s multi-media platforms, reporting for NASCAR Now, NASCAR Countdown, ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS and SportsCenter, as well as provide weekly content on ESPN.com.
Nationally acclaimed motorsports writers Blount and Newton recently began serving the leading online sports destination, ESPN.com, as part of the one-two punch on the NASCAR beat, providing expanded coverage of NASCAR and other racing events. Their columns are among the many features that NASCAR enthusiasts will find on the Web site, in addition to the weekly Monday Rundown, Wallace’s weekly Rusty Nails It column and regularly updated NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Power Rankings. ESPN.com will continue to collaborate with the popular Jayski’s Silly Season Site that features news, rumors and commentary on the happenings in NASCAR.
“NASCAR continues to have one of the most passionate and dedicated fan bases, and in adding David and Terry to ESPN.com's award-winning editorial staff, we'll be able to deliver extensive news and information to meet the interests of those fans,” said Patrick Stiegman, vice president and executive editor, ESPN.com. "They join the signature voices of Rusty Wallace, Jayski.com and others who provide depth and variety to the coverage we deliver daily."
ESPN’s return to NASCAR kicks off with up-to-date news and information each weekday evening on NASCAR Now, debuting Feb. 5, 2007, at 6:30pm/et on ESPN2.
Coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway takes place Feb. 17, 2007, on ESPN2.
ESPN and ABC will have comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup” championship on ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 will be the home of the NASCAR Busch Series all season.
ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981. The network's award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN was honored with 17 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide. NASCAR races have appeared on ABC for decades, beginning with broadcasts on the award-winning Wide World of Sports program in the 1960s.(ESPN PR)(12-13-2006)

ESPN broadcast crew announced UPDATE 3 Daugherty, Petree, Rusty: hearing that the 2007 ESPN/ABC broadcast crew will be announced this week, supposedly Dr. Jerry Punch, former Cup champ Rusty Wallace and former Truck Series owner/NBA Basketball player Brad Daugherty will be in the booth.UPDATE: been told the announcement will come Thursday, Oct 12th at Lowe's Motor Speedway and the lineup I hear above is NOT correct....(10-9-2006)UPDATE 2: For years, Brad Daugherty has worked with NASCAR behind the scenes on diversity issues, trying to increase minority interest and representation in what remains a very white sport. Now the Asheville [NC] resident will be front and center as an African-American voice on stock car racing, hosting a television show on ESPN. NASCAR officials have scheduled a press conference today in Charlotte to announce the television crew for ESPN’s 2007 coverage, a group that will include the Black Mountain native and former NBA star on the NASCAR Pit Studio Show. Daugherty has owned race teams in the Busch and Craftsman Truck Series and has served on NASCAR’s ultra-secret Rules and Competition Committee that doles out fines and punishments to drivers, but said he believes he can be a more visible minority voice on television. The Pit Studio Show will provide pre- and post-race coverage and will include segments during races. Daugherty said another racer with WNC ties will be involved with ESPN’s NASCAR coverage. Andy Petree, who operated the APR team out of Flat Rock [NC] that once fielded two Nextel Cup cars, will serve as a race analyst.(Asheville Citizen Times)(10-12-2006)OFFICIAL: NASCAR will return to ESPN and ABC in 2007 with a powerful and experienced team of television and NASCAR championship veterans, led by host Brent Musburger, an accomplished and prominent sports commentator; Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR champion who made his debut as an analyst in 2006; and play-by-play announcer Jerry Punch, a veteran of ESPN's previous NASCAR coverage. Television newcomer Andy Petree, a former team owner and the 1993-94 championship-winning crew chief for the late Dale Earnhardt, will join Punch and Wallace as an analyst for a booth with nearly 90 years experience in motorsports. The trio will team with veteran pit reporters with a combined 45 additional years of motorsports experience - Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro.
ESPN also is planning for a comprehensive, up-to-the-minute NASCAR Countdown show to immediately precede all NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series races televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. Musburger will serve as NASCAR Countdown host for all races airing on ABC, including the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and select ESPN races including Daytona and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. NASCAR Countdown will be telecast from a new, state-of-the-art mobile pit studio that also will be an integral part of race telecasts.
All telecasts will be in high-definition under the leadership of ESPN Executive Vice President, Studio and Remote Production Norby Williamson, Senior Vice President and Executive Producer Jed Drake, Senior Coordinating Producer Rich Feinberg, who led ESPN's NASCAR efforts in the 1990s, and Senior Motorsports Producer Neil Goldberg, who returns to ESPN after producing FOX's NASCAR races the past six years. Feinberg and Goldberg have won numerous Sports Emmy Awards and were part of the team behind ESPN's motorsports series Speedworld, which won 17 Sports Emmys in the 1990s. Richie Basile, who has served as FOX's NASCAR technical director, will direct.
At a news conference at Lowe's Motor Speedway Thursday, ESPN also announced that 1999 NASCAR champion Dale Jarrett will join Punch and Petree in the booth for select NASCAR Busch Series races on ESPN2 and ABC.
"When NASCAR returns 'home' to ABC and ESPN, fans will instantly recognize the passion and expertise that distinguished our coverage for 30 years, but now applied with an unprecedented, multimedia commitment," said ESPN and ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer. "The extent of our coverage and our talent and production team will set a new standard for service to NASCAR fans." ESPN's return to NASCAR kicks off with coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, Feb. 17, 2007 on ESPN2.
"We are proud to once again call ABC/ESPN our partner," said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. "The team has already shown a remarkable enthusiasm for NASCAR in its preparation for its entry in 2007. Sports fans will be the big winners as ESPN will provide terrific NASCAR content on its television broadcasts and beyond including each of its media platforms." Drake added, "As we reunite NASCAR with ESPN, we have assembled a deep and knowledgeable commentator team with varied motorsports backgrounds. Our group will bring the excitement of NASCAR to the audience with the same enthusiasm that NASCAR fans have for their sport."
And to get fans prepared for the new season, NASCAR Now will debut on ESPN2 on Feb. 5, 2007, marking the network's first-ever daily program solely dedicated to NASCAR. NASCAR Now will deliver the most up-to-date news and information each Monday through Friday evening and will feature NASCAR reporters and analysts including five-time NBA All-Star and former winning NASCAR team owner Brad Daugherty, former NASCAR crew chief Frank Stoddard, a 14-race winner with Jeff Burton, and veteran racing TV reporter Shannon Spake among others to be named. Musburger, Daugherty, Stoddard and others will work from the pit studio during the NASCAR Countdown shows and during the race telecasts.
ESPN2 is planning special editions of NASCAR Now to air on the day of all NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races, starting with the Daytona 500. A race preview show will air at 11am/et on race day, with a post-race edition to run on ESPN2 in the evening following the event. NASCAR Now and NASCAR Countdown will be produced under the leadership of ESPN Senior Vice President/Managing Editor of Studio Production Mark Gross, Vice President of Studio Production Mike McQuade and Senior Coordinating Producer Jack Obringer.
ESPN's comprehensive coverage also will extend to its new media platforms, with extensive coverage on ESPN.com - the leading online sports destination that reaches as many as 20 million fans per month. Among the many features will be a weekly Monday Rundown, Wallace's weekly Rusty Nails It column and regularly updated NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Power Rankings. In addition, ESPN.com will continue to collaborate with the popular Jayski's Silly Season Site that features news, rumors and commentary on the happenings in NASCAR. Additionally, ESPN Motion, ESPN360 and the ESPN PodCenter will deliver comprehensive multimedia race coverage including select live video, on-demand online video and podcasts.
Also in 2007, ESPN Deportes will become the Spanish-language home of NASCAR, highlighted by a special onsite presentation of the NASCAR Busch Series race from Mexico City in March. ESPN Deportes' NASCAR commentator team will feature Andrés Agulla (play-by-play) and Alex Pombo (analysis). ESPN and ABC will have comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races including the 10-race "Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup" championship on ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 will be the home of the NASCAR Busch Series all season. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981. The network's award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN was honored with 17 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide. ESPN2 is seen in 91.7 million homes, virtually equal to ESPN's 92.3. NASCAR races have appeared on ABC for decades, beginning with broadcasts on the award-winning Wide World of Sports program in the 1960s.(ESPN PR)(10-12-2006)

Talent/Production Briefs:Andrés Agulla
" A motorsports broadcast veteran, Agulla handled play-by-play for ESPN's Spanish-language coverage of the IRL IndyCar Series and World Rally Championship. He also serves as host on RPM Semanal, ESPN Deportes' weekly motor sports news and information show.Richie Basile
" Lead director for NASCAR on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC networks - including ESPN and ABC's 17 NEXTEL Cup telecasts - the 10-race Chase for the Cup - and all NASCAR Busch Series telecasts on ESPN2. Basile has served as FOX Sports' lead technical director on NASCAR and its premier NFL production team for the past six plus years and directed many of FOX's NASCAR telecasts while partnered with Neil Goldberg. Allen Bestwick
" An award-winning NASCAR television and radio broadcaster who has covered thousands of races in nearly 20 years. Bestwick first began a national broadcast career in racing on MRN Radio. Since 2001, he has served as lead reporter for NBC and TNT on the networks' coverage of NASCAR, as well as provided play-by-play coverage of a variety of other sporting events. Dave Burns
" A motorsports broadcast veteran who served as a pit reporter on NBC and TNT's NASCAR coverage the last five years. Burns also is a former member of ESPN's racing team, having covered the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 1998 and 1999. Started his TV career with TNN covering the ASA series.Brad Daugherty
" A five-time NBA All-Star in eight seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who selected him as the No. 1 pick in the 1986 draft. A follower of NASCAR since his childhood, his #43 jersey was chosen in honor of Richard Petty. Daugherty also spent time as a winning NASCAR Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series team owner with drivers Robert Pressley, Kenny Irwin Jr. and others. Pressley won a Busch Series race in 1989 in a car owned by Daugherty while Irwin won a Truck Series race for Daugherty in 1997. Daugherty previously served as a college basketball game sideline reporter and analyst for ESPN and ABC.Jed Drake
" Joined ESPN in 1980 and was named senior vice president and executive producer for ESPN in 2000. Oversees all remote production efforts totaling more than 6,000 hours per year including NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, X Games, Winter X Games, college basketball and football, World Cup soccer and other properties. Helped build and solidify ESPN's position as a production leader, spearheading innovations including the critically acclaimed "1st and Ten" for football and the "K Zone" for baseball telecasts, both Emmy winners. Rich Feinberg
" Joined ESPN in 1993 and as a coordinating and senior coordinating producer, he and his production teams earned 47 Sports Emmy nominations and 15 awards. He oversees the production of ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC's comprehensive auto racing lineup including NASCAR, Indy Car, NHRA, the Indianapolis 500 and the networks' month-long programming surrounding the Indy 500. Feinberg also remains part of the X Games senior production team and is the senior coordinating producer for the ESPYS. Jill Frederickson
" ESPN's Coordinating Producer for Motorsports. Oversees all of ESPN and ABC's motorsports productions, including NASCAR. As coordinating producer of remote production since 2003, Frederickson develops the overall vision of ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC's NASCAR coverage. She earned a Sports Emmy in 1996 for her work on the Summer Olympics for NBC. Neil Goldberg
" Senior motorsports producer for ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC including ESPN and ABC's 17 NEXTEL Cup telecasts - the 10-race Chase for the Cup - and NASCAR Busch Series telecasts on ESPN2. He began his career working on NASCAR in 1982 with ESPN and served as a producer of ESPN's NASCAR Winston Cup and other motorsports coverage, which won 17 Sports Emmy Awards and received three CableACE Awards in the live sports series category. In 2001, he joined FOX Sports as the lead race producer for all productions through 2006. Mark Gross
" Senior vice president and managing editor, studio production for ESPN since 2005, overseeing all studio production for ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNEWS. Responsibilities include studio presentation of news on all three networks, including SportsCenter, the NFL, Major League Baseball, College GameDay, NASCAR and features. Had been senior coordinating producer in ESPN's studio production department since January 2003, earning that position after guiding the Saturday morning show College GameDay to its most-watched season ever. Dale Jarrett
" The 1999 NASCAR champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner will make his television debut in 2007 as an analyst on select Busch Series events. Jarrett and his father, Ned - the 1961 and '65 NASCAR champion who worked for ESPN from 1988 to 2000 as a NASCAR analyst - are just the second father-son combo to win Cup titles. (Lee and Richard Petty) Jamie Little
" An experienced action sports and motorsports reporter for ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, serving as a pit reporter for ESPN's broadcast of the IRL IndyCar Series season the last three years. Additionally, she has covered ESPN's Winter and Summer X Games as a supercross and motocross reporter. Mike Massaro
" An award-winning reporter for NASCAR who joined ESPN in 2001, he covers motorsports for SportsCenter, Outside the Lines, ESPNEWS, and ESPN Radio. He also was a reporter for ESPN2's daily motorsports news program RPM2Night (2001-02). He started his racing career as PR director for a Connecticut short track and then reported for MRN Radio from 1997-2000. He also was a reporter for Inside NASCAR on TNN. Mike McQuade
" Vice president of studio production responsible for all NASCAR studio shows on ESPN and ABC - NASCAR Now and NASCAR Countdown - as well as ESPN2's live morning show Cold Pizza and nightly Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith. Also oversees ESPN's news and information studio coverage of the NBA Finals and major golf events. Joined ESPN in 1987 and held various positions in the production department before assuming current role in 2006.Brent Musburger
" Joined ABC Sports in May 1990, continues to handle play-by-play for a variety of sports. His assignments have included golf, pro and college football and basketball. He also serves as play-by-play commentator for ESPN, ESPN Radio, and ABC's NBA coverage. Prior to joining ABC Sports, Musburger was with CBS Sports from 1975 through 1990, serving as that network's primary voice for The NFL Today, the NCAA Final Four, U.S. Open Tennis Championships, the NBA Finals and the Masters.Jack Obringer
" Senior coordinating producer most recently responsible for 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. ET editions of SportsCenter, as well as NBA FastBreak, NBA Coast to Coast and NASCAR coverage on SportsCenter. Previously a coordinating producer for the 6 p.m. SportsCenter, Monday Night Countdown and ESPNEWS. Prior to joining ESPN, Obringer worked at WNDU-TV in South Bend, Ind., for 16 years, ultimately as assistant news director.Andy Petree
" A NASCAR veteran whose career includes being a driver, car owner and two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup-winning crew chief for the late Dale Earnhardt. Petree joined Richard Childress Racing as the crew chief for the famous #3 Goodwrench Chevy and won back-to-back NASCAR championships in 1993 and '94. As a driver, Petree raced from 1988 to 2004. As a car owner, Petree worked with Kenny Wallace, Joe Nemecheck, Bobby Hamilton and Greg Biffle.Alex Pombo
" A former driver, Pombo joined ESPN Deportes in 2005 and handles Spanish-language analysis for IRL IndyCar Series and World Rally Championship alongside Agulla. He also serves as an analyst for RPM Semanal. Jerry Punch
" One of the busiest and most versatile sports commentators, working an extensive schedule of college football, college basketball and motorsports assignments for ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, including NASCAR. In his commentary, Punch calls on knowledge as a former emergency room physician to explain injuries. He received his medical degree from Wake Forest University in 1979 and was the director of emergency room services at a Florida hospital for 14 years, serving two terms as chief of staff. Punch became a track announcer at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina as a teenager and became a garage/pit reporter for MRN Radio in 1980. He became a reporter for ESPN in the mid-1980s while continuing his medical practice. Shannon Spake
" Has brought the behind-the-scenes stories of NASCAR to viewers while reporting for SPEED Channel's NASCAR Nation and hosting Backseat Drivers. Spake also shared the excitement of NASCAR Champion's Week with viewers when she co-hosted a 2005 special from New York City. Spake most recently was a pit reporter for the All-American Soap Box Derby Championships presented by Levi Strauss Signature on ESPN. Frank Stoddard
" A longtime NASCAR crew chief who solidified his position in NASCAR's premier series with driver Jeff Burton in the No. 99 Roush Racing Ford. With Stoddard's guidance, Burton drove his way to 14 wins from 1998 to 2002. Rusty Wallace
" The 1989 NASCAR champion, whose 25-year career included 55 Cup wins. His dynamic personality and knowledge of racing led to a successful debut in ESPN and ABC's IRL booth in 2006, including the Indianapolis 500. Additionally, Wallace has served as a NASCAR analyst for SportsCenter on ESPN. Wallace ranks as one of the top-five money winners in NASCAR history, with nearly $50 million in career earnings.(ESPN PR)(10-12-2006)

ESPN Returns to cover NASCAR Races

NASCAR TV deal near? UPDATE 4 OFFICIAL: NASCAR could announce as early as this week a TV rights deal that would see Fox broadcast the first half of the Nextel Cup season and TNT and ESPN/ABC sharing the back half starting in 2007, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal reports. The sanctioning body could get as much as $550 million a year from TV rights, a 38% increase over the estimated $400 million a year it gets under the current arrangement with Fox, NBC and TNT. The story says industry insiders say the ABC/ESPN commitment alone is expected to be about $270 million a year. TNT and ESPN are expected to air six races each, reporter Scott Warfield writes, and ABC will air the final 11 races, including all 10 events [and Indy] in the Chase For The Nextel Cup.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter), so that would be 36 total races: ESPN gets 6, TNT gets 6, ABC gets 11, so Fox/FX would get 13 [plus Bud Shootout and Nextel Challenge].(11-29-2005)UPDATE: look for an announcement Thursday, Dec 1st in NYC.(12-1-2005)UPDATE 2: NASCAR CEO Brian France said Thursday that NASCAR was on the "final lap" of its TV deal, in which ESPN is expected to replace NBC for 2007 and beyond. An announcement is expected before the end of the year.(Richmond Times Dispatch)(12-2-2005)

UPDATE 3: Big Apple buzz included the TV partnerships for 2007. Apparently, NASCAR has signed an eight-year deal across the board that will include FOX Sports, TNT and a reunion with ESPN/ABC. FOX will get the rights to the first half of the season, including the Daytona 500. TNT, a NASCAR partner for more than two decades, inherits the next part of the schedule, and ESPN/ABC picks up the final portion of the season, including the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. ESPN2 will cover the entire Busch Series schedule, providing much-needed continuity. The return of ESPN promises fans a wide range of programming that was limited to Speed Channel under the current deal. We probably won't know for a while which announcers and analysts will end up where. For example, the NBC regulars can't discuss future opportunities until their contracts expire. Expect Rusty Wallace, who has lent his experience to TNT in the past, to find a role somewhere.(Sporting News)(12-6-2005)

UPDATE 4 - OFFICIAL Announcement: NASCAR announced the completion of comprehensive broadcast agreements that will benefit the industry and its fans for years to come. Under the new eight year agreements NASCAR races will be broadcast on a combination of networks that includes FOX, SPEED, Turner’s TNT and ABC/ESPN beginning in 2007. “NASCAR’s new network agreements mark a historic moment for the entire NASCAR community,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “This is a major accomplishment for the NASCAR drivers, teams and track operators that have made this sport what it is today. It represents a significant reward for the competitive side-by-side racing our fans have come to expect. It also validates the marketing and production enhancements our current media partners have brought to the sport. The new broadcast partnership is also good for the fans because they will have so much more NASCAR content from a variety of media and new media sources.".
“NASCAR is proud to continue its relationship with FOX, SPEED and TNT, while welcoming back ABC/ESPN into the family of broadcasters,” said NASCAR Vice President Dick Glover. “By signing deals with three of the largest and best media companies in the world, NASCAR will meet the growing nationwide fan demand for more NASCAR content into the next decade,” Glover said.

NASCAR expands its relationship with News Corp as FOX becomes the official home of the Daytona 500. FOX’s broadcast agreements for the NFL Playoffs, the Super Bowl, the Bowl Championship Series and American Idol provide an excellent opportunity for cross promotion around the Daytona 500 held each year in mid-February. The deal also includes a brand-new comprehensive multi-media distribution program which includes Internet, wireless and broadband platforms. “FOX is extremely excited to extend its relationship with NASCAR for another eight years, and come 2007 be known as the official television home of the Daytona 500, by far the most watched auto race in this country,” said FOX Sports President Ed Goren. “Our production team has done an amazing job over the last five years to put NASCAR broadcasts on par with America's most popular sports, and we look forward to pushing the production envelope further as we move forward.”

SPEED will increase NASCAR programming as the continuing exclusive home for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as well as the new home for the Gatorade Duels, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Pit Crew Challenge and NASCAR Nextel Cup Series All-Star Challenge.

NASCAR looks forward to continued great exposure and coverage of the sport from TNT, which will be entering its 22nd year with NASCAR, the longest continuous relationship of any media company with the sport. TNT will broadcast six consecutive races in the middle of the season including the July 4th weekend extravaganza, the Pepsi 400 from Daytona.

ABC and ESPN will provide comprehensive coverage of NASCAR on their numerous outlets. The final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events will be broadcast on ABC or ESPN with the last 10, the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, on ABC. All NASCAR Busch Series races will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN 2. In addition, ESPN will bring NASCAR coverage to its full suite of media including its cable TV networks, ESPN360, Mobile ESPN, ESPN.com and affiliated international networks throughout the world. “This agreement totally embraces NASCAR’s multimedia future,” said George Bodenheimer, ESPN Inc. and ABC Sports president and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks. “NASCAR is a strong and growing property, and the ESPN of the 21st century – an array of new media platforms and content outlets reaching fans wherever and however they consume sports – will take the sport to even higher levels of exposure and growth. ABC Sports first exposed sports fans to the racing excitement of NASCAR in the 1960s, and ESPN and the sport grew up together in the 1980s and ‘90s. Our tradition is rich, and our future is bright. To NASCAR, its drivers and fans we say, ‘Welcome back.”
“NASCAR thanks NBC for its stellar coverage and commitment to the sport for the past five years and looks forward to another great year in 2006,” Glover concluded.

About the agreements:

Beginning in 2007, each NASCAR season will be launched on FOX with the telecast of the Daytona 500. FOX will also carry NASCAR “Speedweeks” events including the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona Pole Qualifying. FOX will also broadcast the 12 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races following the Daytona 500.

The final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points races will be broadcast on ABC or ESPN. The final 10 races, the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, will be broadcast on ABC. The NASCAR Busch Series will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN 2, with no less than four events on ABC.

SPEED will be home to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the exception of two events, which will be broadcast by FOX.

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series qualifying practice and “happy hours” will be broadcast on a combination of SPEED Channel, ESPN and ESPN2.

SPEED will broadcast the Gatorade Duels held each year during “Speedweeks” to determine part of the Daytona 500 starting order.

SPEED will also broadcast the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series All-Star Challenge and its companion all-star event, the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Pit Crew Challenge.
ESPN will launch specially NASCAR-branded news and information programming.

All broadcast partners will have new interactive rights, special “season preview” and “season end review” programming rights and other ancillary content. NASCAR fans will be able to receive NASCAR coverage from an expanded range of outlets including highlights and live streaming, content from and on each network’s Web pages, datacasts and newly-developed multimedia programming.(NASCAR PR)(12-7-2005)